OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Marymount (Va.) University women's volleyball team battled through a tough matchup with Stevenson University on Wednesday night, topping the Mustangs, 3-1 (25-22, 26-24, 21-25, 25-23) to move to 8-4 on the season.

The Saints came out aggressively in the opening set, taking a 3-0 lead early on. Marymount pieced together enough runs to take a six-point advantage in the set, before the Mustangs came back within one, 15-14. Head Coach Beth Ann Wilson called a timeout late in the set to regain composure and finish strong. The timeout proved effective as the Saints finished the set on a 6-2 run to win, 25-22.

In set two, the offense set the tone once again, providing a 5-1 lead for the blue and white. Senior Cailyn Thomas, junior Margaret McAlpin, and sophomore Emily Abramaitys combined for four kills to lead the opening run. Stevenson managed to inch its way back into the game, forcing it into extra points, but MU took set two, 26-24, after seeing back-to-back kills by Thomas and Abramaitys seal the deal for a 2-0 advantage.

Marymount fell behind midway through the third set, using a timeout after trailing by six. However, the Saints fought back to get within three and forced a Stevenson timeout. The last-ditch effort by MU was not enough to overcome SU in the third set, 25-21, pushing the match to a fourth game.

The final set of the match proved to be a battle between both contenders. Marymount developed a commanding seven-point lead early on, but once again the Mustangs found a way to battle back. The set ended on a kill by McAlpin, as the Saints grabbed the fourth game, 25-23, and notched the victory, 3-1. 

McAlpin pieced together a strong performance, notching a match-high 16 kills. Thomas also added 11 kills for the offense and two blocks for the defense. Sophomore Caroline Hanson and junior Christine Tieman controlled the pace on offense, registering 27 and 24 assists, respectively. Freshman Theresa Buscemi led the way on defense recording a career- and match-high 28 digs.

Stevenson's Annika Schwartz led her team in kills with 14. On the defensive end, Deanna Bradbury led the Mustangs with 19 digs.

The women will continue on the road to face four squads at the Gallaudet 10th Annual Worthington Classic. The two-day event is set to begin on Friday, September 23 with the Saints to take the court at 4 p.m., for a rematch against DeSales University, followed by Rutgers University-Newark at 6 p.m.