HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 5, 2022)  – Sophomore Cleo Shannon had 13 kills and senior Ava Smithing finished with a career-high nine blocks as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team defeated Arcadia University 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-15) to win its third straight MAC Freedom Championship Saturday in at Canavan Arena.

First-year Vivian Lisboa had nine kills and matched a career high with seven blocks and sophomore Parker Adkins and junior Elle Maggio each added eight kills for the Ducks, who ran their winning streak to five, while improving to 23-9. The win sends Stevens to the 13th NCAA Tournament in program history, and fifth in the last six seasons (excluding 2021). The Ducks will learn their NCAA placement Monday afternoon when the bracket is revealed by the NCAA. 

Shannon, who totaled 22 kills on 50 swings with just three errors (.380 hitting percentage), while also adding four blocks, two assists and two digs, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. 

Estefania Martinez-Sola matched Shannon with 13 kills, while also adding 13 digs, to pace Arcadia, who dropped to 19-9. The Knights finished out the season with wins in four of their final six matches, but both losses were to Stevens. 

Back-and-forth play was the story in the opening stages of the match. The teams combined for nine lead changes and five ties in the opening set, which Arcadia was able to win after scoring nine of the final 10 points to silence the Canavan Arena crowd. Martinez-Sola did most of the damage for Arcadia, setting down five kills on nine swings without an error. Kelsi Warner assisted on 12 of the Knights' 14 kills in the opening set and also registered two of the team's four aces.

The Knights appeared to be on their way to taking a 2-0 lead in the match after another Warner ace gave them a 17-12 lead , when the Ducks inserted Adkins into the lineup. After the substitution, the Ducks went on a 5-1 run to trim their deficit to one with junior Meg Dion regarding an ace and a kill and Adkins serving an ace of her own. Stevens would finally draw even at 21 after Smithing and Lisboa partnered together to stuff Nicole Dallara.

Arcadia rallied to score the next two points to again threaten a 2-0 lead in the match, but a resilient Ducks' group rallied to produce the next four points - two coming off the right off Adkins to even the match. Shannon's fourth kill of the frame was the set-clinching point.

Boosted by their flurry that ended the second set, the Ducks scored the first two points of the third set and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire to take the lead. An attack error gave Stevens the first point of the set and two more errors pushed the lead to 3-1. The Ducks were nearly flawless in the frame, committing just a single attack error, in seizing control of the match. Stevens reeled off the final four points to take the set, with Shannon notching two kills in the stretch.

The final set featured more back-and-forth play in the early stages. Neither team scored more than two straight points and Arcadia found itself ahead at 12-11 after a Mandy Singleton ace. However, the tide quickly turned as Maggio set down a feed from graduate student Kathleen Riegner to spark a 6-0 run that saw the Ducks jump in front for good. Another lengthy run would see Stevens increase its lead to 23-14 and a service error and an attack error closed out the four-set victory. 

Each of the Ducks' three MAC Freedom title wins has come in four sets.

Inside the Numbers

• Stevens improved to 6-0 versus Arcadia since the 2015 season. The Ducks are also 6-0 all-time in MAC Freedom tournament play.
• The Ducks held Arcadia to a 0.106 hitting percentage for the match, marking the 26th time the Ducks have held an opponent under .200. Interestingly, the Knights' best statistical set was the second set, which was won by Stevens. The Ducks held Arcadia to .036 (14-12-56) across the final two sets. 
• For the second straight match, Stevens increased its attack percentage in each set, culminating with the team's impressive .483 mark in the final set. The Ducks finished the match at .333, which is tied for the team's second-best attack percentage this season.
• The Ducks committed just 11 attack errors on the day, marking the second-lowest total of the season. 
• Junior Bailey Axelrad finished with a match-high 27 digs. 
• The Ducks finished with 11 total blocks, which is tied for the second-most this season.
• Arcadia held a 9-5 edge in aces, 

Unsung Hero

• Dion continued her efficient play in the middle, finishing with six kills on 10 swings with one error (.500 hitting percentage), while also adding three blocks. The West Chester, Pennsylvania native also served up an ace.

From the Sidelines - Head Coach Brianna Jones

• "One of my favorite games of the season!!! We fought back against a very good and well-trained Arcadia team. Our team was competitive and showed their heart!"

Up Next

• Women's volleyball will learn its NCAA placement Monday afternoon, when the bracket is revealed.

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