WESTMINSTER, Md. – The Stevenson women's volleyball team went 2–0 on Saturday at the McDaniel Tri-Match, earning a 3–1 victory over McDaniel before completing the day with a thrilling 3–2 comeback win over Marymount (Va.) inside Gill Center. The Mustangs defeated McDaniel by scores of 25–21, 25–15, 17–25, and 25–11 before battling back against Marymount, 25–21, 26–24, 19–25, 23–25, and 15–3.
Vs. McDaniel
Set 1:
Stevenson battled through a back-and-forth opening set, with the teams trading points early before the Mustangs began to pull ahead.
Rachel Lenz helped spark the attack with a pair of service aces and several kills, while
Autumn Henry and
Logan Burge added key points at the net.
With the score tied at 17–17, Stevenson used a late push to take control. Lenz and Burge delivered consecutive kills before
Lillianna Hornickle added another point to extend the lead to 20–17. Burge and
Maren Zepfel continued the momentum down the stretch, and a kill from
Zoya Fazal closed out the set, 25–21, giving Stevenson a 1–0 lead.
Set 2:
The Mustangs came out firing in the second set, jumping out to a 3–0 advantage behind kills from Lenz and Zepfel. Stevenson continued to apply pressure, using strong serving and attacking to build a 11–2 lead.
A service ace from
Zoe Folk helped extend the advantage, while Henry, Hornickle and Burge contributed kills as the Mustangs maintained control. Stevenson pushed its lead to 18–4 before McDaniel attempted to rally late.
Lenz, Zepfel and
Sydney Salazar continued to find openings at the net, and Burge finished the set with a kill from
Declyn Tooze to give Stevenson a commanding 25–15 victory and a 2–0 match lead.
Set 3:
McDaniel responded in the third set, opening with a 5–0 run and forcing Stevenson into an early timeout. The Mustangs battled back behind a kill from Henry and points from Lenz and Hornickle, but the Green Terror maintained its advantage throughout the frame.
Stevenson trimmed the deficit to 21–15 following a Tooze service ace and a Burge kill, but McDaniel answered with a late run. A McDaniel service ace closed out the set, 25–17, cutting Stevenson's match lead to 2–1.
Set 4:
Stevenson responded emphatically in the fourth set, opening with seven consecutive points. Henry, Salazar and Lenz accounted for several of the early kills, while Burge added three straight kills during a 4–0 run that pushed the Mustangs ahead 14–4.
McDaniel attempted to slow the momentum, but Stevenson continued to control the set. Salazar and Lenz added kills before
Isabella Terra recorded a service ace to help push the lead to 22–11.
The Mustangs closed out the match in dominant fashion, winning the final set 25–11 on a kill from Lenz to secure the 3–1 victory.
Lenz led the Stevenson attack with 15 kill.
Vs. Marymount (Va.)
Set 1:
Stevenson battled through a back-and-forth opening set, with both teams trading points early. Salazar and Lenz helped keep the Mustangs within striking distance, while Zepfel and Burge added key kills at the net.
With the score tied 13–13, Stevenson found its rhythm and used a 7–2 run to take a 20–15 advantage. The Mustangs continued to apply pressure late, with Burge and Salazar providing key kills before Lenz closed out the set with a service ace. Stevenson took the opening frame, 25–21.
Set 2:
The Mustangs carried their momentum into the second set, jumping out to an early lead behind consecutive kills from Lenz. Marymount responded and eventually built a 15–12 advantage, but Stevenson continued to battle.
A late push from Stevenson tied the set at 21–21, with Lenz, Salazar and Zepfel delivering key points. After Marymount reached set point at 24–23, Stevenson answered with a kill from Lenz to even the score. Burge followed with another kill before Lenz delivered a service ace to complete the comeback and give the Mustangs a 26–24 win and a 2–0 match lead.
Set 3:
Marymount came out strong in the third set, taking an early 6–4 lead before extending its advantage to 11–6. Stevenson continued to fight behind kills from Lenz, Zepfel and Burge, cutting the deficit to 18–13.
The Mustangs mounted a late push, but Marymount maintained control and closed out the set, 25–19, trimming Stevenson's match lead to 2–1.
Set 4:
The fourth set featured another tight battle, with neither team able to establish a significant advantage early. Stevenson used kills from Salazar, Burge, Lenz and Henry to stay within reach.
After Marymount built a 16–12 lead, the Mustangs responded with a 7–2 run, highlighted by a Lenz service ace and kills from Burge and Henry, to take a 19–18 advantage. The set remained tight down the stretch, but Marymount scored the final three points to claim the frame, 25–23, and force a decisive fifth set.
Set 5:
Stevenson saved its best volleyball for the deciding set, opening with a Salazar kill before quickly taking control. Lenz and Salazar continued to find success offensively, while
Isabella Terra added a service ace to help the Mustangs build a 7–2 lead.
The Mustangs never let up. Tooze took over from the service line, recording three consecutive aces as Stevenson stretched its advantage to 13–3. Zepfel added a kill before Tooze set up the final point, with Zepfel delivering the match-clinching kill to give Stevenson a dominant 15–3 fifth-set victory and secure the 3–2 comeback win.
Stevenson was led offensively by Salazar, who finished with 16 kills on 32 attacks, while
Logan Burge added 13 kills and
Rachel Lenz recorded 15 kills. Tooze guided the offense with 27 assists, while
Isabella Terra anchored the defensive effort with 17 digs. The Mustangs finished the match with 62 kills and a .271 hitting percentage.
Stevenson will return to action on Wednesday, September 23 at 7 p.m., traveling to Neumann for the first meeting between the two programs and the first meeting in conference history.
