SALISBURY, Md. (September 30, 2023) – Senior Meg Dion totaled 14 kills and five blocks across a pair of matches, but the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team fell to No. 19 University of Mary Washington in five sets (21-25, 25-19, 16-25, 25-22, 10-15) and Salisbury University in three sets (25-11, 25-17, 25-16) Saturday in a tri-match hosted by the Sea Gulls at the Maggs Physical Activities Center.

In the opener, senior Liz Patterson posted a team-high 11 kills to go along with 20 digs to help pace the Ducks. In the final match of the day, senior Cleo Shannon had a team-high nine kills and classmate Madison Sappia totaled 15 digs as the Ducks closed the day 7-6. 

Caitlin Burch had a match-high 16 kills and six blocks, while Bryanna Miller added 11 kills and 22 digs for the nationally-ranked Eagles, who won their fourth straight match over the Ducks. Then, Kiley McTaggart set down a match-high 10 kills and Emma Quandt added five blocks and seven kills for the hosting Sea Gulls. Salisbury pulled off a reverse sweep of Mary Washington in the opening match of the day, to improve to 9-5, while also handing Mary Washington its first loss of the year. Mary Washington finished the day 13-1. The pair of victories snapped the Sea Gulls' four-match losing streak.

The Rundown

• Stevens and Mary Washington locked in five-set battle in a match that featured a total of seven lead changes, with six coming in the fourth set and the other coming in the early stages of the first. The team that scored first in the second, third and fifth set would essentially lead the frame wire-to-wire.
• Mary Washington was able to secure the victory with a little more offensive efficiency, amassing 15 more kills than Stevens on only three more swings. Interestingly, each team finished with 32 errors.
• Defensively, the Eagles produced at least 20 digs in sets one through four and held Stevens to an attack percentage of under .100 in sets 1, 3, and 5 – each won by Mary Washington. The Ducks finished with a higher hitting percentage in sets 2 and 4, which were both won by Stevens.
• Looking to force a deciding fifth set, the Ducks broke open a tie score (6-6) with an impressive 6-1 run that featured a pair of tandem blocks. Mary Washington clawed back into the set with a run of its own and held the lead as the teams crossed the 20-point plateau (21-20). However, the Ducks responded with four of the next five points to force the final set. Patterson and Dion rejected a Burch attack to bring the Ducks to set point and Patterson then connected for her third kill of the set to close out the frame. 
• Mary Washington jumped in front in the final set with a 4-1 run, and statistically, the Eagles had their most efficient offensive production in the set, committing just two hitting errors. Stevens climbed out of its early deficit and evened the score at six after a bad set an ace by junior Bailey Axelrad. However, the Eagles responded with the next four points and then scored three of the final four to close out the victory.
• The Ducks got off to a slow start against Salisbury, spotting the Sea Gulls the first four points of the match before getting on the board on an attack error. Finally on the board, the Ducks drew within one on a kill from junior Parker Adkins, but a 7-0 run broke the set open. Salisbury strung together four of the final five to claim the opening set.
• The second set provided the closest action between the sides with four ties and three lead changes. Stevens took its first lead of the match on a Patterson kill and the Ducks turned in their longest run of the match with five straight points to take a 6-3 lead. However, the hosts answered with a 10-3 run to jump back in front for good. An ace by senior Elle Maggio – one of seven in the match by Stevens – capped a 4-0 run that saw the Ducks pull within five, but Salisbury scored the next three points to claim the frame.
• The final set saw Salisbury take a commanding early lead and then lead wire-to-wire to close out the sweep. The Sea Gulls, who committed a total of just five hitting errors in the match, hit .455 in the final set. 

Top Performers

• Sophomore Gabbi Roberts and first-year Molly Harris each handed out 18 assists to pace Stevens in its opening match.
• Sappia paced the Ducks in the opener with 23 digs for her first match with more than 20, to set a new career high.
• Stevens totaled nine blocks against Mary Washington, including solo rejections from Dion and Maggio.
• Seven players finished with at least one kill in each match.
• Sophomore Vivian Lisboa had four kills in each contest.
• Patterson paced the Ducks in the finale with a pair of aces. She also had the second-most digs (10) on the team for her ninth match with double-digit digs.
• Dion had four kills on nine swings without an error against Salisbury. This marked the fourth-year middle's third errorless contest of the season.

For the Opponents

• Nine different players set down at least one kill for Mary Washington.
• Lauren Foley dished out a match-high 22 assists for the Eagles.
• Jordan Lyons and Breanna Campbell each served three aces.
• For Salisbury, Jackie Mitchell and Bella Rubino combined for six kills on 13 attempts without an error across three sets.
• The Sea Gulls held the Ducks without a block. 
• Salisbury's Julie Altieri dished out a match-high 18 assists.

Around the MAC Freedom 

• King's 3, Valley Forge 0 (Sept. 28)
• Delaware Valley 3, Bryn Athyn 1 (Sept. 28)
• Kean 3, DeSales 2 (Sept. 29)
• William Paterson 3, Arcadia 0 (Sept. 29)
• Messiah 3, Lebanon Valley 1
• York 3, Misericorida 0
• Morrisville State 3, King's 2
• FDU-Florham 3, Mount Saint Mary's (Md.) 0
• Mount Aloysius 3, Misericordia 1
• Lebanon Valley 3, Rosemont 0
• St. Joseph's (L.I.) 3, FDU-Florham 1
• Penn State-Harrisburg 3, King's 1

Up Next

• Stevens heads to Dallas, Pennsylvania on Oct. 4 to coninue MAC Freedom play at Miserocrida. The Ducks have won 11 straight league contests and have won all six meetings between the programs. Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.

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