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Box Score 2 OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Stevenson women's volleyball picked up a pair of victories on Saturday, knocking off Catholic and Virginia Wesleyan in tri-match action inside Owings Mills Gymnasium.
Stevenson (16-4) notched a 3-1 triumph against Catholic (4-17), later picking up an impressive straight-set victory against a talented Virginia Wesleyan (17-4) side.
- Stevenson opened the match with the initial four points, later pushing its first set lead to 9-2 following a Mackenzie Blevins kill.
- Blevins dropped in a service ace for a 13-6 edge in the opening set. Sophia Eckerd launched down a kill from the right side as Stevenson moved ahead 16-9 before each side traded points.
- After a slick defensive rally to keep the point alive, Sarah Straub and Makala Thompson combined for a block in the middle, pushing Stevenson to an 18-11 margin. Following a timeout, Catholic reeled off four of the next five points as the Cardinals trimmed the margin to 20-15.
- Kills from Darian Dildy and Piper Connors handed the Mustangs set point at 24-18 before the Cardinals finished off five straight, forcing a Stevenson timeout at 24-23. Straub closed out the set with a kill out of the timeout, lifting Stevenson ahead 1-0 with a tricky 25-23 opening set triumph.
- Blevins continued her solid day at the service line with a pair of aces to begin the second set, later adding another as part of an 8-0 surge. Two blocking combinations from Straub and Connors highlighted a 6-0 spurt for the Mustangs, ballooning their decisive lead to 15-2.
- Rileigh Kimball, Eckerd, Taylor Jones and Haley Hoover all slammed home kills for Stevenson in short order, lifting the Mustangs ahead 23-9 in the second set. It was all part of a larger 5-0 effort for the Mustangs to close out set two with a 25-9 win.
- Things were even at the onset of set three and it remained that way throughout with neither side able to gain much separation.
- Stevenson, which trailed slightly for much of the third frame, moved back in front with a 5-1 run for a 20-19 advantage. Blevins powered the outburst for the Mustangs, launching four kills in the run.
- Tied at 21, Eckerd stepped up for the Mustangs with a timely kill before chipping in on a block assist with Dildy for a 23-21 advantage.
- Much like the start of the set, each side traded points near the conclusion of the third. Catholic staved off match point twice, eventually taking a 25-24 lead on a service ace from Olivia Blondin and staying alive with set point out of the timeout.
- Stevenson moved ahead 4-2 in the fourth set and consecutive kills pushed that edge to 6-3. Play became a bit choppy as both sides struggled with errors as Stevenson led 13-8.
- The Mustangs notched four of the next six points out of a Catholic timeout, keyed by kills from Eckerd, Connors, and Blevins for an 18-10 margin. Stevenson continued to widen its lead methodically and a mini 3-0 surge prompted a Catholic timeout with the Mustangs ahead 22-12.
- The Cardinals had one final push before Stevenson closed out the set and match with a kill from Eckerd, closing out the 25-18 frame.
- Later in the day, Stevenson posted an early 5-1 lead in the first set against Virginia Wesleyan, capped by a pair of aces from Blevins. Virginia Wesleyan began to narrow the gap out of a timeout, but a kill for Connors lifted Stevenson to a 10-7 edge.
- Consecutive kills, one each from Straub and Thompson, pushed the Mustang's advantage to 13-9. After trading points, Virginia Wesleyan rattled off a run to get within 15-14 until Dildy halted the surge with a kill. That kill from Dildy shifted momentum to the Mustangs, which moved in front at 18-14 in the opening set.
- Two more swings from Connors expanded the Stevenson edge to 21-15 before the Marlins clawed back with the next four points. The narrow set continued as the Mustangs looked to create some distance, posting the final five points for the 25-20 set victory.
- Stevenson began the second set with a 3-0 lead before the Marlins responded. Alexis Davies-Hackenberg dumped a kill over for VWU, tying the frame at six.
- Following a pair of 3-0 rallies for each side, the second set was gridlocked at nine. Following a Blevins kill, the Marlins put down five of the next seven points as Stevenson called for timeout trailing 14-12.
- Kayla Vaeth provided a much needed ace before the Marlins answered right back for a 17-14 edge. Back-to-back Virginia Wesleyan errors brought Stevenson to within one at 18-17 before Baily rocketed in two kills as Stevenson moved back in front, 19-18.
- Stevenson pushed its second set lead to 21-19 after kills from Baily and Dildy as the Mustangs clung to the narrow advantage. Eckerd closed the frame with a kill for the 25-23 set triumph.
- Connors laced down a kill for a 5-2 edge as once again VWU answered back, trimming the margin to 5-4 before tying the frame at five. The Marlins moved in front, 7-6, following a service ace for Abagail Mahoney.
- Five straight points, all from Stevenson kills, pushed the Mustangs in front by a 12-8 margin. The Marlins battled back to within 14-13 in the third set, keeping things close in the middle portions of the frame.
- Dildy moved the advantage back to two points at 17-15 with a kill as Stevenson maintained its slim lead. The Mustangs kept Virginia Wesleyan at bay on their way to a 23-21 advantage, ultimately winning the match on an attack error.
- Entering the weekend, Stevenson entered with an 8-2 mark when playing multiple matches in a single day. Saturday marked the second consecutive home tri-match for the Mustangs, previously dispatching Marymount (Va.) and Lynchburg on October 2.
- Stevenson has won its last six home matches.
- Blevins hit .480 with 15 kills, six aces, and eight digs in a strong opening match for the Mustangs.
- Blevins and Eckerd combined for 29 kills against Catholic. Overall, the Mustangs hit .326 as a team while limiting Catholic to a .185 hitting percentage.
- Catholic registered seven of the final 10 points in the opening set as Stevenson benefited from its early lead in the 25-23 win. Despite the late rally from Catholic, Stevenson hit .297 as a team in the opening set with six different players posting multiple kills.
- Blevins notched three aces and helped anchor the big run for Stevenson with eight consecutive serves for the Mustangs in the second set against Catholic. The set ended with an ace from Hannah Naja as part of an all-around effort.
- Stevenson hit a torrid .565 in the second set against Catholic, recording 14 kills on 23 total attacks in the frame.
- Blevins had a big opening match, taking her game to another level in the third set. In total, Blevins racked up eight kills in the third frame despite Catholic earning the extended 26-24 win.
- Eckerd logged six kills, hitting .429 in the back-and-forth opening set against Virginia Wesleyan.
- Stevenson went on the offensive in the middle of the third set, posting five kills from four different players on its way to a 12-8 lead.
- Stevenson: The Mustangs finish up the home portion of the regular season slate on Tuesday, October 12 with a conference match against Albright at 7:00 PM.
- Catholic: The Cardinals welcome Marymount (Va.) to the nation's capital on Monday, October 11 at 7:00 PM.
- Virginia Wesleyan: The Marlins visit Mary Washington on Wednesday, October 13 at 7:00 PM.
