In front of a big home crowd, the Marymount University Saints women’s volleyball team recently won a third- straight Atlantic East Conference tournament championship.
The top-seeded Saints were 2-0 in the tourney, defeating Gwynedd Mercy University in the semifinals, then Neuman University in the title match, each by 3-0 scores.
Marymount was led by tournament Most Valuable Player Maya Harris. In the championship match, the senior had 17 kills and added seven digs.
Also for Marymount in the match, Katee Stromberg had four kills and two blocks; Natalie Bialecki led the offense with 30 assists and added six kills and three digs; Johanna Modica had six kills; and Harper Wolf (the conference Player of the Year) had five kills.
The leaders in digs for Marymount were Renae Rohrer (14), Eliza Freeman (13) and Ava Humphries (nine). Elizabeth Stackpole added a trio of blocks, with three kills.
Marymount trailed 14-7 in the first set. The Saints regrouped during a timeout and rallied to win that set. Marymount also rallied from an 18-16 deficit to win the second set. The Saints scored the first five points of the third set and led the rest of the way to clinch the match and championship.
Harris had 14 kills and Wolf 12 in the semifinal win, Bialecki had 30 assists and Stromberg added three blocks.
By winning the conference tournament, Marymount qualified for the NCAA Division III tourney. The Saints lost 3-0 to the host University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh team in the first round.
For the season, Marymount finished with a 12-22 overall record but was 8-0 in conference play.
Marymount has won 17 straight matches against conference opponents over three seasons.
