OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Stevenson women's volleyball team delivered a dominant performance against Messiah on Thursday evening inside Owings Mills Gymnasium, earning a 3–0 sweep in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals by set scores of 25–20, 25–18, and 25–17. The Mustangs controlled the match from start to finish, using a strong offensive attack and a balanced defensive effort to secure their spot in the MAC Commonwealth Championship.
Set 1:
Stevenson opened the match trading points with Messiah before beginning to create separation. The Mustangs built a 6–4 advantage before extending their lead to 10–6 behind strong attacking from
Rachel Lenz and
Maren Zepfel. Stevenson continued to control the set, pushing its advantage to 19–11 following consecutive kills from Lenz.
Messiah responded with a late 5–0 run to cut the deficit to 19–16, but the Mustangs maintained their composure. Zepfel and Lenz each added kills down the stretch before Zepfel delivered the set-clinching point, giving Stevenson a 25–20 opening-set victory.
Set 2:
The Mustangs carried their momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 5–1 lead behind a service ace from
Allison Gaus and a kill from
Sydney Salazar. Stevenson continued to apply pressure, extending its advantage to 8–2 following a kill from Lenz.
The Mustangs maintained control throughout the set, building a 14–10 lead before a pair of kills from Lenz pushed the advantage to 17–11. Stevenson continued to capitalize on Messiah's offensive errors while adding blocks from
Maren Zepfel and
Logan Burge. The Mustangs closed out the set with a 25–18 victory to take a 2–0 match lead.
Set 3:
Stevenson once again established an early advantage, opening the third set with a 5–1 lead following kills from Lenz and
Lillianna Hornickle. Messiah battled back to even the score at 5–5, setting up a competitive stretch in the middle of the set.
The Mustangs responded by regaining control, eventually building a 12–9 advantage behind a pair of blocks from Burge and Zepfel. Stevenson continued to extend its lead, using kills from Lenz and Burge to create an 18–13 cushion. The Mustangs took control late, closing on a 7–2 run that included kills from Burge, Zepfel, and
Emma Shaffer before Lenz delivered the match-clinching kill for a 25–17 victory.
Lenz led the Stevenson offense with 17 kills while hitting .341, adding nine digs and two block assists. Zepfel contributed eight kills while hitting an impressive .444, along with four block assists. Shaffer added five kills, 15 digs, and two block assists, while Hornickle finished with four kills and three block assists. Burge contributed two kills and four block assists.
Courtney Foose tallied 16 assists, reaching the 1,000-assist milestone for her career, while
Declyn Tooze added 13 assists. Defensively, Shaffer and Lenz led the way with 15 and nine digs, respectively, while
Lilly Eichelberger recorded 11 digs. Stevenson finished the match with 41 kills, 63 digs, and seven total team blocks while hitting .250 as a team.
Stevenson advances to the MAC Commonwealth Championship match, where the Mustangs will travel to face No. 1 Eastern on Saturday, November 14. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m.
