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How Smyrna spread the ball to win first volleyball state championship

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How Smyrna spread the ball to win first volleyball state championship


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Smyrna had two days to craft a game plan.

They started with looking inward. If you scouted the Eagles you would know that the offense ran through the big swing of Anna Richardson, a first team all-state selection in 2022. Assuming their opponent was ready for Richardson, the Smyrna coaching staff believed in their final match of the season more hitters needed to be involved.

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Right on cue, there was Elise Carter with a pair of momentum-seizing kills in the fourth, state title-clinching set. And there was Eliza Schneider burying the final point in the middle of the Ursuline defense to start the celebration for Smyrna.

“You could see Elise’s energy and Eliza’s energy,” Smyrna head coach Daniel Wandless said. “Those girls were just having fun today.”

Moments after Schneider’s final point, Richardson held a trophy carved to mimic the shape of Delaware above a huddle of her teammates. Smyrna was officially the 49th state champion in volleyball, adding its name to an immortal list that starts with A.I. du Pont in 1975.

They also started a new list. Thursday was the first time that a school from below the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal won the state title.

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“This is phenomenal for downstate volleyball,” assistant coach John Trabaudo said.

Years of improving access to club teams and offseason training downstate built to a semifinal matchup Monday at the University of Delaware’s Bob Carpenter Center between No. 2 Smyrna and No. 3 Caesar Rodney. Smyrna won 3-0, led by Richardson’s 17 kills, one fewer than the rest of the team’s kills combined.

Wandless asked his team to assess their performance. Most gave it a C or a C+. They needed an A-game to beat Ursuline, which overpowered reigning state champion Tower Hill after Smyrna cleared the floor Monday.

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For an A-game, Smyrna sought balance. They asked setter Abigayle Osborne to move the ball around, especially early.

“We have to get our other people going early so they get comfortable and they feel like they’re a part of the game,” Wandless said. “It can’t just be one player.”

Smyrna hoped that moving the ball around would throw off the Ursuline defense, forcing the Raiders to play “out of system” and giving Smyrna easy balls to counter. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Smyrna worked on a few plays it hadn’t shown yet this season.

Wandless said Tuesday was a rough practice. By Wednesday, they were on fire.

Back at the Carpenter Center against Ursuline, Smyrna leaned on a play called 32. The outside hitters move about 25 to 30% further inside the antenna that stretches up from the net at each end and the middle player runs to the outside. The look can affect the other team’s block.

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“That’s what was working,” Osborne said. “Our outside just put it away.”

Carter said her team passed well to Osborne, which then allowed Osborne to pick from several hitters to set.

“I was just focused,” Carter said. “I was like, ‘if you get it to me, I’m going to put it down.’ “

Smyrna won the first set 25-16. They took control of the second set late after a sequence in which Richardson chased down a third hit in the deep right corner and finished the point with a kill at the net from the left side. Three points later, Smyrna took the set 25-22 and had control of the match.

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The Eagles had three match points in the third set. Ursuline called timeout trailing 24-22. The Raiders then won 5 of the next 7 points leading to a Smyrna timeout. The teams traded points until Ursuline let two balls go long to win the set 30-28.

It was the first set Smyrna lost in the state tournament.

In the huddle between sets, Trabaudo said the only coaching point was to keep the ball moving. Then there was some joking around to stay loose.

“We told them that you’re here to have fun,” Trabaudo said. “You’re on the biggest stage you can be on in your high school career, go out there and enjoy the next set.”

The Eagles won the fourth set 24-14. Everyone shared in the action. Richardson, Carter and Schneider all had multiple kills. Osborne tapped two sets over in the perfect spot.

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“It was relief, excitement, joy, it was everything wrapped in one,” Carter said. “I was in awe. I was crying.”

The players on the court crowded around Schneider as their teammates soared off the bench. They then put the celebration on pause to shake hands with Ursuline beneath the net. After a couple photos, the teams waited in numerical order to receive state champion and runner-up medals. A few cheers erupted as Smyrna players made hearts with their fingers to the crowd.

Then, finally, for the first time Smyrna was announced as volleyball state champion.

Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com. Follow him on X @holveck_brandon.

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Delaware

State Police Investigating New Castle Motel Shooting – Delaware State Police – State of Delaware

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State Police Investigating New Castle Motel Shooting – Delaware State Police – State of Delaware


Date Posted: Sunday, June 16th, 2024

Delaware State Police are investigating a shooting that occurred early Sunday morning at Red Roof Inn & Suites in New Castle.

On June 16, 2024, at approximately 3:33 a.m., troopers responded to a shooting at Red Roof Inn & Suites, located at 1612 N. Dupont Highway. When troopers arrived on the scene, they learned that a 20-year-old male victim had been transported to a local hospital for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the arm.

A preliminary investigation revealed that several individuals gathered at the motel after attending a local concert. During this gathering, the victim and unknown suspect engaged in an argument. The altercation escalated, and the suspect fired a shot at the victim before fleeing the scene.

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Delaware State Police Troop 2 Criminal Investigations Unit is continuing its investigation and urges anyone who may have witnessed the shooting or has relevant information to contact Detective G. Rash at (302) 365-8427. Information may also be provided by sending a private Facebook message to the Delaware State Police or contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333.

If you or someone you know is a victim or witness of a crime or have lost a loved one to a sudden death and need assistance, the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit / Delaware Victim Center is available to offer you support and resources 24 hours a day through a toll-free hotline at 1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461). You may also email the Victim Services Unit at DSP_VictimServicesMail@delaware.gov.

 

 

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Salmonella outbreak from recalled cucumbers impacts Delaware. What you should know

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Salmonella outbreak from recalled cucumbers impacts Delaware. What you should know


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A salmonella outbreak from recalled cucumbers has impacted Delaware.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with state and local partners, are investigating a multistate outbreak of salmonella infections potentially linked to cucumbers. Epidemiological investigations have identified two strains of the bacteria linked to almost 400 cases of reported illness. The strains are Salmonella Africana and Salmonella Braenderup.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one to two people in Delaware became ill because of the cucumbers.

Recalled cucumbers: Cucumbers in 14 states recalled over potential Salmonella contamination

States where people have gotten sick from salmonella linked to cucumbers

Back on May 31, Fresh Start Produce Sales Inc. of Delray, Florida, recalled cucumbers grown in Florida and shipped to 14 states between May 17 and 21. That recall came after some cucumbers tested positive for salmonella, the FDA said on June 1.

While epidemiologic data show that cucumbers may be contaminated with Salmonella Africana and may be making people sick, the FDA and CDC have not confirmed that cucumbers are the source of illness in any ongoing outbreaks.  The agencies are continuing to investigate both outbreaks to determine the specific sources and products involved.

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However, with so many people who developed salmonella infections having reported eating cucumbers, those cucumbers are likely involved, Bill Marler, a food safety lawyer, told USA TODAY.

Here are the states reporting Salmonella Africana infections:

  • Alabama
  • Arkansas
  • Connecticut
  • District of Columbia
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Iowa
  • Indiana
  • Kentucky
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri
  • North Carolina
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington

What is salmonella?

Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

According to previous reporting, the cucumbers are unlikely in the marketplace, anyone with the recalled product should not consume it and should destroy and discard it or return it to the place of purchase for a refund. Consumers should check with their retailer or place of purchase to determine whether the recalled cucumbers were sold where they shop.



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Delaware's Imagination Library program expands with bilingual book collection

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Delaware's Imagination Library program expands with bilingual book collection


Librarians stepping in to register children under 5 for free monthly books has been pivotal in boosting the program’s success. An essential aspect of this success is the partnership with hospitals, as they facilitate the enrollment of newborns in the program.

Despite the program already offering two bilingual books annually, it fell short of meeting the demand. Norman highlighted the critiques from caregivers and parents, who had been vocal about the absence of bilingual materials in Delaware libraries.

“When we first launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, one of the first questions I got — or frankly a criticism — was that it wasn’t bilingual,” she said. “There was actually always at least two books a year that were bilingual, but they really wanted the whole program to be bilingual.”

“Delaware is in the next group of five states that are getting the bilingual option, which is super cool,” she added.

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Other states benefiting from the expanded bilingual collection include Tennessee, where Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library originated, as well as Washington, D.C., North Carolina and Ohio.

The push for bilingualism began in California, where the large and diverse population made it a priority. Recognizing this need, many states advocated for the inclusion of bilingual options, too. Hence, the foundation took that need and expanded its bilingual collection beyond California, recently adding Delaware to the list.

Delaware residents can register their children for free books online or at their closest public library, choosing between two options: receiving monthly books in English with occasional bilingual English and Spanish titles, or opting for all books in a bilingual English-Spanish format.



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