OWINGS MILLS, Md. - The Stevenson women's volleyball team split a pair of matches on Friday afternoon at Owings Mills Gymnasium, falling 3–1 to Christopher Newport before bouncing back with a 3–0 victory over Notre Dame (Md.). The Mustangs opened the day with a 25–18 win over the Captains before Christopher Newport responded with set victories of 25–8, 25–20, and 25–13, while Stevenson closed the day with a sweep of Notre Dame by scores of 25–20, 25–18, and 25–19.
Vs. Christopher Newport
Set 1: Stevenson came out strong in the opening set, jumping out to an early 6–3 advantage behind a service ace from
Courtney Foose and kills from
Rachel Lenz and
Sydney Salazar. The Mustangs continued to build their lead, using a 7–0 run to move ahead 12–4. Christopher Newport chipped away at the deficit, but Stevenson maintained control throughout the remainder of the set. Lenz and Salazar provided key kills down the stretch before the Mustangs closed out the opening frame, 25–18.
Set 2: Christopher Newport answered in the second set, opening with a 5–2 advantage before extending its lead to 18–4. Stevenson battled to get back into the set with kills from
Lillianna Hornickle and a defensive effort from the Mustangs, but the Captains maintained their momentum and evened the match with a 25–8 victory.
Set 3: The Mustangs and Captains traded points early in the third set before Stevenson built a 6–4 lead. CNU responded and later took a 10–8 advantage before Stevenson rallied to tie the set at 16–16. The Captains then used a late 9–1 run to pull ahead and closed out the set, 25–20, taking a 2–1 match lead.
Set 4: Christopher Newport carried its momentum into the fourth set, building a 6–2 lead before Stevenson cut the deficit to 6–4. The Captains continued to extend their advantage, moving ahead 14–7 and later 20–10. The Mustangs continued to battle, but CNU closed out the match with a 25–13 fourth-set victory.
Lenz led the Mustangs offensively with six kills, while Salazar added eight kills and
Autumn Henry finished with seven.
Maren Zepfel and Hornickle each contributed four kills, while
Logan Burge added three. Stevenson finished with 32 kills on the night.
Courtney Foose recorded 10 assists, while
Declyn Tooze led the Mustangs with 13 assists. Lenz paced Stevenson defensively with 16 digs, while
Isabella Terra and
Lilly Eichelberger each added 10 digs. Stevenson finished with 49 digs and two total blocks.
Vs. Notre Dame (Md.)
Set 1: Stevenson and Notre Dame battled through a tight opening set before the Mustangs began to pull away. With the score tied at 13–13, Stevenson used a 7–1 run to take a 20–14 advantage, highlighted by kills from
Sydney Salazar,
Autumn Henry, and
Rachel Lenz. The Mustangs maintained their lead down the stretch, with Salazar and Lenz providing key kills before
Declyn Tooze closed out the set with a service ace, giving Stevenson a 25–20 victory.
Set 2: The Mustangs carried their momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 5–2 lead behind a kill from
Lillianna Hornickle and continuing to extend their advantage. Stevenson pushed ahead 12–6 before Notre Dame cut the deficit to 13–11. The Mustangs responded with a 4–0 run and continued to control the set, building a 24–16 lead. Notre Dame scored twice late, but Stevenson closed out the frame, 25–18, to take a 2–0 match lead.
Set 3: Stevenson came out strong once again in the third set, using an early 6–1 run to build a 10–5 advantage. The Mustangs continued to apply pressure, extending their lead to 16–11 before Notre Dame made a late push to cut the deficit to 20–17. Stevenson answered with three straight points, including kills from Henry and Zepfel, before Lenz delivered the match-clinching kill to complete the sweep with a 25–19 third-set victory.
Lenz led the Mustangs offensively with 18 kills while hitting .692, while Henry added nine kills on a .375 hitting percentage. Salazar finished with eight kills and Zepfel contributed five, as Stevenson totaled 46 kills while hitting .402 as a team.
Foose led the Mustangs with 20 assists, while Tooze added four assists. Lenz also paced Stevenson defensively with seven digs, while Eichelberger and Terra each recorded 14 and 10 digs, respectively. The Mustangs finished with 43 digs and three total team blocks.
Stevenson returns to action on Saturday, September 26, when the Mustangs travel to the Johns Hopkins Quad Match to face Scranton at noon.
