WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Marymount (Va.) University women's volleyball team made great strides, not just in the opening day of the 10th Annual Worthington Classic hosted by Gallaudet University on Friday afternoon, but also in program history, as Head Coach Beth Ann Wilson notched her 400th coaching victory at the helm of the Saints. 

The blue and white opened the day with a redemption sweep of DeSales University, 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-20), before doing the same exact thing in the next match against Rutgers University-Newark, 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-20). 

Wilson took to the helm of the women's volleyball program in 1993, recording 11 victories in her first season as Head Coach. Since then, Wilson has led the Saints to 10 seasons with 20-plus wins, while being named the Capital Athletic Conference Coach of the Year twice, once in 2004 and again in 2006. During the 2006 season, the blue and white also registered the program's lone regular-season CAC title. Additionally with the sweep of Friday's opponents, Wilson now is just four win shy of the current CAC leader in overall wins, Salisbury University's former Head Coach Margie Knight, who sits at 405 victories. 

Marymount vs. DeSales

The Saints were looking to even the score, after dropping a three-set decision to DeSales earlier this season, and did just that. Sophomore Caroline Hanson led the Saints on offense notching a match- and career-high 12 kills. Hanson and junior Christine Tieman kept the ball moving on offense, registering 19 and 18 assists, respectively. Senior Mallory Mitchell stepped up big on the defensive end after picking up a match- and career-high 16 digs.

MU was able to set the tone early in set one, finishing it on back-to-back kills by junior Margaret McAlpin and Hanson. In set two, Marymount jumped ahead 16-6 early to force a DeSales' timeout. The Saints continued to swing until senior Cailyn Thomas put the ball down in a convincing fashion to finish the set, 25-14. The final set saw a continuous change in momentum between both teams, but MU prevailed as Hanson recorded her 12th kill of the match to seal up the redemption match, 25-20. 

Marymount vs. Rutgers-Newark

The offense was well divided in the second match, showing two Saints in the double digits for kills and eight Saints contributing to the category. Thomas registered a match-high 12 kills followed by Hanson who added 10. Tieman saw the court well and added 24 assists, while senior Emileigh Rettig led the Saints on the defensive end with 12 digs.

Marymount traded points with Rutgers early in set one, but pieced together a 5-0 run to force a timeout by the Scarlet Raiders. The Saints continued to dominate, maintaining a lead until the closing point, 25-20. The blue and white took off in set two, taking an 8-0 commanding lead. The Saints never looked back extending their lead to as much as 15 points. Thomas finished set two with another kill, 25-14. The final set of the match proved to be a tougher battle between the teams. Marymount was able to maintain composure and pieced together a 4-1 run to take the set and match. Thomas and Mitchell each added a kill to the run and Hanson finished it off with two kills herself.

The Saints continue at Gallaudet University of Saturday, September 24 for day two of the Worthington Classic. The women will face off against Messiah College at 12 p.m., followed by Misericordia University at 2 p.m.