OWINGS MILL, Md. - The Messiah women's volleyball team traveled to Stevenson University Wednesday evening for a MAC Commonwealth semifinal match against the second-seeded Mustangs. The Mustangs pulled away with a 3-1 (27-25, 14-25, 25-18, 25-23) victory with a pair of tight sets proving to be the difference maker.
The Falcons end their season with a 21-8 record, while finishing 5-3 in the conference. Sarah Hart led the Falcons with 15 kills, while Emma Swartz added 23 assists on the night. No.2 Stevenson will advance to play No.1 Eastern University Saturday in the MAC Commonwealth Championship.
How It Happened
The Falcons got off to a great start, grabbing an early 11-7 lead. Mackenzie Feight and Chayney Barnhart did most of the damage for the Falcons. Messiah continued to pick up momentum scoring seven out of the next ten to extend their lead to 18-10. However, the Mustangs came storming back taking advantage of multiple Falcon attack errors to bring the score to 18-15. Messiah responded well, scoring points late getting big kills from Sarah Hart, and Barnhart but Stevenson caught fire late. Following a tough fought end to set one, the Mustangs would rally to win the first set 27-25.
Heading into set two, the Falcons were determined to get that one back storming out the gate to grab an early 10-1 lead. Cassidy Dell, Sarah Hart, and multiple Barnhart points led the Falcons through the midway point of the second set. From that point on the Falcons never took their foot off the gas getting points from all levels on the floor. The Mustangs had no answer as Messiah continued to dominate, extending their lead to 16-4. While Stevenson managed to score late, Feights points would lead the Falcons to a set two 25-14 win.
Tied at 1-1 in the match, both teams were not willing to let the third set slip through their hands. Stevenson gained an early 10-6 lead and never let up, extending the score to 16-9 heading into the midway point. Despite points from Katie Quesenberry, Hart, and Feight, the Falcons could not get a rhythm going late, as the Mustangs picked up a crucial 25-18 third set victory to move to 2-1 in the match.
Down 2-1 in the match the Falcons knew they had to pick up a set four win to extend this MAC Commonwealth semifinal to a fifth set. Sarah Hart, and Feight scored early as Messiah got out to an early 10-5 lead. However, the Mustangs would rally back and tie the set at 15-15 heading into the midway point. Stevenson continued to pick up momentum as they extended their lead to 18-15 late in the set. The Falcons did not go away as they picked up five of the next six points to regain a 20-19 lead. However, the Mustangs stalled the Falcon rally to pick up a 25-23 set four victory, winning the match 3-1.
Closing Out the Season
The Falcons end their season 21-7 and 5-3 in the conference. The Mustangs move on to face No. 1 Eastern in a rematch of last year's MAC Commonwealth championship.
