ARLINGTON, Va.—The Marymount (Va.) University women's volleyball team split 1-1 during its tri-match on Saturday. In match one, the Saints fell short to Capital Athletic Conference opponent, No. 20 Christopher Newport University in a thrilling five-set match, 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 22-25, 25-20, 12-15). Marymount redeemed itself in match two against Messiah College in a four-set victory and redemption from a sweep to the Falcons earlier this season, 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 10-25, 25-15).

Marymount v Christopher Newport

Senior Cailyn Thomas paced the Saints on offense, notching a match-high 16 kills while earning a .351 hitting percentage. Both junior Christine Tieman and sophomore Caroline Hanson added 22 assists apiece. On the defensive end, Hanson also managed to scoop up a team-high 15 digs followed by freshman libero Theresa Buscemi who registered 14.

The Saints trailed early in set one, 3-0, but bounced back and neither team could gain more than a two-point advantage. Thomas closed out the set, 25-23, and also registered four kills and four total blocks to lead the Saints past the Captains.

In set two, both teams remained neck-and-neck until CNU pieced together a 3-0 run to pull ahead 11-8. The Captains' offense continued to swing and continued to lead the Saints through much of the set. MU made an effort towards the end to come back within four but fell short, 25-20.

The momentum was in favor of the Captains early on in set three, however, the Saints picked up speed shortly after to tie the game at seven all. Marymount led by as much as five through the mid-set before Christopher Newport overcame the deficit and took set three, 25-22, for a 2-1 advantage in the match. 

Junior Margaret McAlpin ignited a 4-0 run at the beginning of the fourth set to take a 5-3 lead. The Captains managed to tie the set at 8-8 but couldn't get ahead of the Saints in set four. Hanson fed McAlpin for the final point of the set as Marymount sealed up the game,25-20, giving both teams two sets apiece. In set four, Thomas and McAlpin dominated on the offensive end notching four kills apiece, while Thomas maintained a .444 hitting percentage. 

Senior Emileigh Rettig got things started in set five to give Marymount the 1-0 advantage. Both teams continued to battle and the Captains managed to come back and get out in front of the Saints. Towards the end of the set, the Saints added two-straight points but the last-ditch effort didn't prove to be enough and fell, 15-12.

Marymount v Messiah

On the offensive end, Thomas continued to be a force, registering 13 kills while adding seven total blocks on the defensive end. Tieman and Hanson split time in the setter position, each adding 20 and 15 assists, respectively. Buscemi notched 22 digs to lead the Saints on defense.

The Saints didn't waste anytime in set one, jumping to an early 13-8 lead to force a Falcon timeout. Marymount extended its lead to as much as seven before closing out the set on top, 25-17. 

Once again, the Saints got on top early building a six-point advantage and forcing the Falcons to burn their first timeout, 13-7, in set two. Marymount cruised through the rest of the set and prevailed, 25-19. 

In the third set, Messiah's offense came on strong and rallied in set three to win, 25-10. The Saints quickly answered in set four pulling ahead, 16-7. MU never looked back, as Thomas finished the set and match with a kill, 25-15. 

The women will head back onto the court for the first round of CAC playoffs, as they earned the No. 4 seed after posting a 7-2 league record. The Saints will host No. 5 St. Mary's College of Maryland on Tuesday, November 1 at a time to be determined. Be sure to check back at www.marymountsaints.com as the information becomes available.