For Immediate Release · By Nairem Moran · nmoran@smcm.edu

Arlington, Va. – The St. Mary's College of Maryland volleyball team left it all on the court Tuesday night, taking fourth-seeded Marymount (Va.) University to five. However, St. Mary's dropped a tough 3-2 (16-25, 25-18, 12-25, 29-27, 7-15) decision in the first round of the 2016 Capital Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship Tournament.

Marymount (Va.) 3, St. Mary's (Md.) 2 (16-25, 25-18, 12-25, 29-27, 7-15)

How It Happened

• St. Mary's season came down to the fifth and decisive set after the Seahawks rallied from a 19-14 deficit in the fourth.
• In the fourth, St. Mary's gained a 23-21 advantage behind kills from senior captain Alli Graf (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck), sophomore middle blocker Hannah Krauss (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park), and a service ace by senior defensive specialist Meghan Griffiths (La Plata, Md./La Plata). The Seahawks would hold on for the 29-27 win, sealing the triumph with back-to-back Marymount errors.
• The Seahawks only lead of the fifth was 1-0 at the start before Marymount went on a 13-5 run to distance themselves from St. Mary's. The Saints won two of the final three points to advance to Thursday's semifinal matchup at top-seeded University of Mary Washington.
• In the first and third sets, Marymount cruised to 25-16 and 25-18 victories as the Seahawks were held to a combined 13 kills, including hitting negatively in the third.
• St. Mary's never trailed in the second set as A. Graf (4) and Krauss combined for seven kills and the defense came up with 5.0 team blocks to even up the match at 1-1.
• One of the bright spots for the Seahawks last night was their defensive play lead by career performances by sophomore libero Marissa Dangler (Smithsburg, Md./Smithsburg) and senior setter Mimi Graf (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck) who notched 30 and 23, respectively, while A. Graf added 24.

For the Seahawks (21-12)

• A. Graf – 24 digs, 16 kills, 4 assists, 4 block assists
• M. Graf – career-best 23 digs, 22 assists, 6 kills, 4 block assists
• M. Dangler – career-high 30 digs
• Senior defensive specialist Carissa Hill (Lanham, Md./Pallotti) – 14 digs
• St. Mary's posted a .108 attacking percentage for the match with two service aces and 10.0 team blocks.

For Marymount (23-7)

• Emileigh Rettig (30 digs, 18 kills); Cailyn Thomas (14 kills, 5 digs); Margaret McAlpin (11 kills, 2 block assists); Mallory Mitchell (25 digs, 10 kills); Christine Tieman (39 assists, 22 digs); Caroline Hanson (26 assists, 23 digs); Theresa Buscemi (27 digs, 5 assists, 2 aces).
• The Saints put a .209 hitting percentage with eight service aces and 4.0 team blocks.

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