WINCHESTER, Va. – In the final matches before Capital Athletic Conference play next week, the Marymount (Va.) University traveled to Shenandoah University for a tri-match with the host Hornets and Virginia Wesleyan College on Saturday afternoon. 

Opening the day with a tough loss to the Marlins, 3-0 (24-26, 16-25, 17-25), the Saints followed up a strong performance against Shenandoah taking the match to a deciding set for the victory, 3-2 (26-24, 22-25, 25-20, 19-25, 15-10). 

Marymount vs. Virginia Wesleyan 

The battle of the blue and white squads favored the Marlins in this one, taking a 3-0 decision. The Saints were down nine through the middle part of the first set, but fought back to claim the lead, 20-19, off kills by senior Morgan McAlpin and junior Mallory Mitchell. Virginia Wesleyan didn't go away though, eventually taking the set, 26-24, before grabbing the next two sets. 

Although Marymount dropped the match, the squad recorded several match highs. Morgan led the offense with a match-high nine kills, while freshman Caroline Hanson recorded a match-high 17 assists. Senior Courtney Phung earned a match high in digs as well with 17. 

Marymount vs. Shenandoah 

The Saints came out determined in the second match of the day against the host Hornets, going through a five-set thriller before taking the match, 3-2. 

The sets went back-and-forth throughout before Marymount claimed the deciding game, 15-10. Needing extra points in the first set, 26-24, the rest were more than a two-point spread. The Marlins notched the second game with a 25-22 victory, followed by a 25-20 decision in favor of the Saints. In the fourth set, MU looked to put it away, but Virginia Wesleyan came through to tie up the sets 2-2 with a 25-19 victory. 

In the final set, the Saints grabbed the early lead and never faltered it throughout. Three kills put a cap on the deciding set from sophomore Margaret McAlpin, junior Emileigh Rettig and Morgan to seal up a 15-10 fifth set and 3-2 victory. 

Morgan had another match high in kills with 16, Hanson did the same in assists with 37. Hanson also had nine kills and led the mach with a .381 kill percentage. Mitchell paced the defense with a match-high 18 digs, as five players all saw double digits in the category. 

The women open up conference play on Wednesday, September 30 against Penn State University-Harrisburg. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m., in the Verizon Sports Arena inside the Rose Bente Lee Center.