ARLINGTON, Va -- The Marymount University women's volleyball team had a strong showing against Neumann University to open Atlantic East Conference play on Friday with a three-set victory. 

Both the Saints and the Knights came into the game with a lot of energy which was reciprocated by the crowd. The Saints opened a seven-point lead at 18-11 which forced the Knights into a timeout. Neumann fought hard after the timeout but was only able to register 2 kills as the  Saints won the first set, 25-16.

At the end of the first set Caylee Shelton, Elissa Munsterman, and Sophie Meredith each registered two kills, while Sydney Sands tallied 7 assists.

The second frame featured more back-and-forth between the two sides and the score eventually settled at 13-13. Sands got the Saints out of the tie with a kill, but the Knights battled back and knotted the score at 23-23. Marymount regrouped with a timeout and Jada Griffith brought the set to a close with a service ace at 25-23.

Neumann fended off the Saints at the start of the third frame, which resulted in a 16-11 advantage for the visitors. Marymount battled back and used a 5-0 run, spurred on by a pair of aces from Sands, to take a 21-18 lead. A kill from Munsterman and an ace from Griffith gave the Saints a set point chance, which got cashed in a point later as a Neumann miscue brought the set and match to a close.

Munsterman, Meredith, and Doyle led the Blue and White with  7, 5, and 4 kills, respectively. Sands tallied a match-best 23 assists and a team-high three service aces. Natalie Garbalosa posted a match-high 15 digs, her sixth consecutive match with double-digit digs. 

Marymount returns to the court on Monday, October 11th, when it faces Catholic University on the road at 7:00 p.m.

Post-Game Interview