HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Marymount (Va.) University women's volleyball team finished its first tournament of the season on Sunday afternoon, splitting the final two matches of the Haverford Invitational. Senior Cailyn Thomas and junior Margaret McAlpin performed well over the weekend and earned a spot on the All-Tournament team.

The Saints got off to a slow start on Sunday falling to Clark University, 3-1 (22-25, 28-26, 20-25, 25-27), but swept Arcadia University, 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-19), to finish the day strong.

Marymount vs. Clark 

Thomas led the Saints on offense after notching a match-high 14 kills, followed by McAlpin (12).  Sophomore Caroline Hanson and junior Christine Tieman saw the court well, adding 19 and 16 assists, respectively. Senior Emileigh Rettig and Tieman registered 10 digs each to lead the Saints on defense.

Set one proved to be a battle from the beginning. The Cougars struck first, but the Saints quickly answered and took the lead at 4-3. The Saints were able to maintain a one-point advantage until the Cougars pieced together a 3-0 run to take a 17-15 lead. Marymount battled its way back into the set on a 3-0 run of its own to force a Cougar timeout. Clark was able to hold onto the lead, however, taking the first set, 25-22.

MU came out with an aggressive mentality in set two, taking a 4-0 lead after McAlpin notched a kill and Rettig added two aces. The Cougars battled their way back to tie the game at seven all, Marymount regained its momentum finished the set on top, 28-26.

Both teams battled point-for-point in set three before the Cougars pulled away to take an 18-13 lead. The Saints inched their back to get within three, but fell short in the end, 25-20.

The Saints and Cougars went to work in the fourth set forcing several ties and lead changes. After a handful of Cougar errors and two kills by Hanson, the Saints saw their biggest lead, 18-12. The Cougars, however, battled back and took the set in extra points, 27-25, to seal up the 3-1 decision for the match.

Marymount vs. Arcadia

McAlpin paced the Saints on offense registering a match-high 13 kills. Hanson and Tieman split time in the setter position and registered 16 and 12 digs, respectively. On the defensive end, Rettig and Hanson picked up 16 and 12 digs, respectively.

McAlpin got to work early in set one, posting five kills to lead the Saints before freshman Theresa Buscemi finished the set with an ace for a 25-22 victory over the Knights. 

Marymount handled set two in a similar fashion, maintaining a lead from point one. A 3-0 run by the Saints gave the squad some breathing room early on for a 7-3 lead. Buscemi once again finished the set for the Saints on an ace to win, 25-17.