OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Stevenson women's volleyball team defeated McDaniel (1-13, 0-5 Centennial) and Rowan (16-3, 5-0) each in straight sets enroute to a 20-2 start and 4-0 record in the MAC Commonwealth Saturday afternoon at Owings Mills gymnasium.
 
Match 1 vs McDaniel (25-17, 25-16, 25-17)
 
Stevenson added a .471 hit percentage in the opening frame and led the set wire-to-wire. Stevenson jumped to a 10-6 advantage with a three-point rally which included kills from Sarah Straub, Rileigh Kimball and Haley Hoover. The Mustangs moved their lead to 21-14 with a four-point rally. The Mustangs finished the frame on a 4-3 run to take the opening set 25-17.
 
In the second set, Stevenson added a match best .355 hit percentage. The sides battled through three ties, but Stevenson never relinquished its lead. The Mustangs used a 9-1 run to leverage a 15-7 lead with kills multiple kills from Shannon Baily, Molly Joyner and a kill Rileigh Kimball. Stevenson finished the frame with a 7-3 stretch with Joyner earning the final kill for a 25-16 victory.
 
The third frame was tightly contested with three tie scores and three lead changes in the early stages of the frame. The Mustangs used a six-point haul to take a 11-8 advantage and never looked back. A 7-2 run capped off by a kill from Sarah Starub gave Stevenson a 20-13 lead. Rileigh Kimball sent home the final kill to win the set 25-17.
 
Match 2 vs Rowan (25-21, 27-25, 25-14)
 
Stevenson lead the opening frame wire-to-wire while hitting .471 and adding four blocks. Stevenson took a 9-3 lead on the heels of a four-point run that included kills from Haley Hoover, Molly Joyner and Rileigh Kimball. The Mustangs used a 6-2 run to take a 19-9 advantage before Rowan narrowed the gap to 19-15 with a six-point run. Rowan continued to apply pressure closing the gap to 24-21 with a 5-1 run but the Mustang lead was too large to overcome. Giulia Viglietta added the final tally to give Stevenson a 25-21 opening set victory.
 
The second set saw eight tie scores and six lead changes with each team hitting above .200. Stevenson took a 10-5 lead on the heels of a six-point run. The Profs roared back with a nine-point run to take a 14-10 advantage. The sides traded points before a three-point Mustang rally notched the set at 21 a-piece. The Mustangs overtook the Profs lead and won the set with a three-point rally which included a kill from Shannon Baily and a final kill from Sarah Straub.
 
In the third set, the Mustangs hit for .333 while holding the Profs to .031. The Mustangs took an 11-3 lead with back-to-back aces from Samantha Simmers. Stevenson used a 6-3 run to take a 20-9 lead capped by a kill from Haley Hoover. Rileigh Kimball added three kills during the Mustangs' 5-3 run to finish the set 25-14.
 
Numbers and Notes

• Rileigh Kimball totaled 26 kills on the day and hit .500 in each match to lead the Mustangs (12 kills vs McDaniel, 14 kills vs Rowan).
• Shannon Baily totaled nine kills in each match.
• Makala Thompson added 23 assists, the 10^th time she has eclipsed the 20-assist mark.
• The Mustangs outblocked their opponent 9-6 on the day.

What's Next

• Stevenson returns to action for Senior Day against Hood on Tuesday, October 11 at 7pm at Owings Mills gymnasium.