ANVILLE, Pa.— The Marymount (Va.) University women's volleyball team advanced to the ECAC semifinals, after downing Lebanon Valley College in a thrilling five-set victory on Saturday afternoon, 3-2 (28-26, 25-17, 19-25, 21-25, 15-13).

After trailing early in set one the Saints battled their way back into the game late in the set to tie the game at 17 all.  Junior Margaret McAlpin and senior Cailyn Thomas added back-to-back kills to take the first lead of the set for Marymount, 19-18. The late push by MU forced set one into extra points before LVC committed an error, and the Saints prevailed on top, 28-26. 

In set two both teams traded points through the early stages of the set, until the momentum shifted in favor of the Saints. The blue and white squad pieced together a 5-0 run to take a six-point advantage, 12-6. MU continued to dominate on the offensive end maintaining at least a six-point lead throughout the remainder of set two. Sophomore Caroline Hanson placed the ball in front of senior Mallory Mitchell, who put the ball down for the final point to win 25-17. 

The score tilted back-and-forth in set three until LVC built a small lead mid-way through the set, 10-7. Marymount continued to trail, piecing together a last-ditch effort sparked by senior Emileigh Rettig. MU rallied back on a 3-0 run late in the set but fell short 25-19, forcing the match to set four. 

Marymount fell behind 9-6 in set four until Hanson sparked a comeback with a kill. The Saints combined to form an impressive 6-0 run to push ahead 13-10. Lebanon Valley mounted their own comeback to take a 20-19 lead, before taking set four 25-21. Both squads were tied at two sets apiece, forcing a fifth and final set. 

Set five proved to be a battle between both contenders. The Saints moved ahead 10-7 before the Dutchmen turned the set around to take an 11-10 lead. The blue and white pulled out the win after posting three-straight kills from Thomas and Rettig to take set five 15-13, and the match, 3-2. 

Rettig pieced together an impressive match, notching a tie for a match-high 19 kills, while maintaining a .354 hitting percentage. Thomas and McAlpin each added 13 kills apiece, and Thomas posted three solo blocks. Junior Christine Tieman and Hanson orchestrated the offense by notching 24 and 26 assists, respectively. On the defensive end freshman libero Theresa Buscemi came through once again, scooping up 16 digs.

The women move on to the ECAC semifinals on Sunday, November 12. The Saints will face-off against Emerson College at 1p.m., looking for the ticket to the championship match later in the day at 6 p.m.