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Women's Volleyball Heads to Stevenson for MAC Commonwealth Semifinals

11/7/2023 12:40:00 PM

OWINGS MILLS, Md. - The third-seeded Messiah University women's volleyball team is scheduled to open the MAC Commonwealth Tournament on Wednesday night with a semifinal match at second-seeded Stevenson Mustangs. The Falcons will travel to Owings Mills, Md to take on the Mustangs of Stevenson University on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 7:00 p.m.

Top-seeded Eastern University will host York in the other semifinal match on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 7:00 p.m., with the winner's meeting in the MAC Commonwealth Championship on Saturday, hosted by the highest seed. 

Messiah has claimed a total of 28 Conference Championships in program history. The Falcons have won 15 straight MAC Commonwealth Championships with their last loss in 2006 to Lebanon Valley College. Last season, Messiah defeated York 2-0 to claim their 16th-straight MAC Commonwealth crown.

Fans should note that since this is a Middle Atlantic Conference Postseason Tournament, tickets are required for all fans. The pricing for tickets are as follows: Adults: $5, Senior Citizens: $4, Students (Valid ID) and Children" $2, and Children under 6: FREE. 

Tournament Homepage  | Watch Live  |  Live Stats  |  Messiah Conference Postseason History 

No. 3 Messiah Falcons

21-7 Overall, 5-2 MAC Commonwealth
Team Homepage  |  Schedule  |  Roster  |  Stats

 

The Falcons finished the 2023 season with a 21-7 overall record with a 5-2 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Falcons opened the season strong with a 6-1 record. The Falcons then went 3-3 in their next six games. The Falcons finished the season with a 12-3 record. Messiah is entering the tournament on a two-game winning streak that included a five-set thrilling win over Marymount in the regular season finale. The Falcons finished the season 13-3 away from Jordan Court in Hitchcock arena this season. 
 

Players to Watch

  • #13 Mackenzie Feight: 296 kills, 296 digs, 47 service aces
  • #15 Sarah Hart: 243 Kills, 2.76 k/s, 22 blocks
  • #12 Chayney Barnhart: 205 kills, 70 blocks, 312 service aces
  • #10 Cassidy Dell: 154 kills, 343 assists, 256 digs, 27 blocks
  • #17 Katie Quesenberry: 122 kills, 79 blocks, .85 blk/s
  • #6 Emma Swartz: 573 assists, 51 service aces, 228 digs
  • #9 Caitlin Lielbriedis: 331 digs, 50 kills, 29 service aces

No. 2 Stevenson Mustangs

21-6 Overall, 6-1 MAC Commonwealth
Team Homepage  |  Schedule  |  Roster  |  Stats

 

The Mustangs had a very impressive season finishing 21-6 with a 6-1 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Mustangs started the season slow with a 1-2 record. Stevenson then went 12-1 in the their next 13 games. The Mustangs finished the season going 8-3 in the their last 11 games and the Mustangs head into the tournament on a three-game winning streak. The Mustangs finished the season with a 12-2 record at home. 

Players to Watch

  • #10 Rileigh Kimball: 275 kills, 259 digs, 57 blocks, 37 service aces
  • #22 Darian Dildy: 235 kills, 104 blocks, 1.09 blk/s
  • #6 Hailey Hoover: 112 kills, 101 blocks, 1.07 blk/s
  • #13 Kayla Vaeth: 440 digs, 4.68 digs/s, 19 service aces
  • #9 Makala Thompson: 485 assists, 29 service aces, 139 digs
  • #2 Samantha Simmers: 400 assists, 40 service aces, 204 digs

 

When They Met

 The Falcons and Mustangs met at Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 26. The Mustangs defeated the Falcons 3-1 with the set scores of 19-25, 25-14, 25-21, 25-18. The Falcons took the first set, but the Mustangs stormed back to take the next three sets. Mackenzie Feight finished with 14 kills and Emma Swartz had 22 assists for the Falcons. The net prescience for the Mustangs was strong with Darian Dildy recording six blocks and Haley Hoover and Rileigh Kimball each recorded four blocks.  

 

No. 1 Eastern Eagles

25-3 Overall, 7-0 MAC Commonwealth
Team Homepage  |  Schedule  |  Roster  |  Stats

 

The Eagles had a dominant 2023 season with a 25-3 overall record and a 7-0 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Eagles started the season 2-2, but quickly bounced back with an 11-game winning streak. The Eagles lost to Ithaca, but then rattled off a long 12-game winning streak to end the regular season. The Eagles dominated most teams with 20 sweeps on the season. The Eagles were great a home with a 6-0 record. 

Players to Watch

  • #23 Hannah Pringle: 326 kills, 3.51 k/s, 27 blocks
  • #21 Logan Martin: 264 kills, 2.78 k/s, 69 blocks
  • #7 Elle Jiron-Bujanda: 880 assists, 208 digs, 36 service aces
  • #3 Grace Casagrande: 527 digs, 103 assists, 41 service aces
  • #15 Bridgette Kelly: 91 blocks, 1.00 blk/s, 183 kills

 

When They Met

 The Falcons and Eagles met on Wednesday, Oct. 11. The Eagles swept the Falcons, but the match was tightly contested with the set scores of 25-22, 27-25, 25-20. Bridgette Kelly led the Eagles with 11 points on eight kills, a solo block and block assists. Caitlin Lielbriedis was key on the defensive end for the Falcons with 20 digs. 

 

No. 4 York Spartans

17-11 Overall, 4-3 MAC Commonwealth
Team Homepage  |  Schedule  |  Roster  |  Stats

 

The Spartans finished the season 17-11 with a 4-3 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Spartans had an up and down season, but won a key matchup against Widener on Oct. 24 to earn the fourth seed. The Spartans struggled on the road finishing 2-8 on the season away from York. 

Players to Watch

  • #7 Gianna Krinock: 292 kills, 3.11 k/s, 231 digs
  • #5 Morgan Nolte: 209 kills, 2.27 k/s, 72 blocks
  • #15 Abby Diehl: 756 assists, 224 digs, 69 service aces
  • #10 Jasmine Doguin: 329 digs, 3.62 d/s ,27 service aces

 

When They Met

The Spartans and Falcons met in the York regular season finale on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The Falcons won 3-1 with the set scores of 10-25, 22-25, 25-20, 18-25. The Falcons attack was strong with Mackenzie Feight recording 17 kills and Sarah Hart adding 14. Abby Diehl led the Spartans with 19 assists and 13 digs.

 

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