The Background
- Final Score: College of Mount Saint Vincent 3, Merchant Marine Academy 2.
- Records: College of Mount Saint Vincent (13-16, 8-4 Skyline), Merchant Marine Academy (18-6, 10-1 Skyline)
- Where: Kings Point, New York
How It Happened
In a rematch of last year's five-set championship thriller, the Dolphins came out seeking revenge and they came out in the first set on fire. The freshmen trio of
Madison Gale,
Samantha Schroeder and
Alexandra Madden had eight kills collectively and carried the Dolphins to a 25-17 first set victory.
Set number two of the evening was an extremely close contest, with the action going back and forth throughout the entirety of the set. Merchant Marine pulled away near the end to go up 24-19 but a late run by the Dolphins forced a Mariners timeout at 24-23. Merchant Marine won the second set, evening out the contest. Schroeder continued her hot play, as she added three more kills to her stat sheet.
The Dolphins got back into their groove in the third set which was tight affair, but CMSV separated themselves midway and went on to win 25-18.
Tara Maloney came to life and got three kills and four blocks in the frame and Gale was flying all over the court and contributing in every aspect of the game. The Dolphins played their best game, set after set.
Much like the quarterfinals, the teams traded the first four sets. Schroeder had another strong set for the Dolphins, getting up to 10 kills on the night. For set number five, the Dolphins came out on fire, scoring eight of the first nine points. The Dolphins never looked back and cruised to a 15-7 final. Maloney saved her best for last and registered the first four kills, setting the tone.
The Dolphins now move on to their second consecutive Skyline Conference Championship.
What's Next?
With the upset victory, the Dolphins will now travel to Patchogue, New York to take on the #3 seed St. Joseph's Long Island Golden Eagles, where CMSV will look to capture the Skyline Conference Championship.
