CASTINE, Maine – Maine Maritime Academy women's volleyball will mount their defense of six-straight league championships as the number one seed in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) East Division Playoff. The top-seeded Mariners will face off against the fourth-seeded University of Maine, Presque Isle (UMPI) Owls in the NAC Quarterfinals at 1:00 pm. The Mariners will also host the other East Quarterfinal contest between Husson and VTSU-Johnson at 3:00 pm.
 
This year marks the 20^th NAC Championship Tournament appearance for MMA. The Mariners have advanced to the finals in each of the last 15 tournaments and own a 30-9 record in the NAC postseason.
 
The Mariners are 34-1 in matches against UMPI dating back to 2004. Maine Maritime is 17-0 against the Owls at home and has won the last 30 meetings. This weekend's quarterfinal marks the third time in as many NAC tournaments the Mariners will meet the Owls in the quarterfinals. Maine Maritime won the previous two postseason meetings 3-0.
 
The Mariners swept UMPI in a pair of September matches during the 2023 regular season. Sydney Williams led MMA in kills in both contests posting 20 in the first match and 10 more in the second meeting.
 
Husson swept Vermont State-Johnson in the regular season winning 3-2 in Bangor on October 1 before sweeping the Badgers on their own floor back on October 21.  Alyvia McIntyre fed 22 assists to a balanced attack in the October 21 meeting with Janna Preskorn serving up seven aces. Husson defeated Johnson 3-1 at Maine Maritime during the 2022 NAC quarterfinals.
 
The winners of Saturday's NAC Quarterfinals will square off for the divisional championship in Sunday's NAC Semifinals in Smith Gym at noon. All games will be streamed live on the Mariners web site. There will be no admission to attend the contests.
 
The top four teams in each division qualify for the NAC Championship tournament. The team advancing from the East division will host the NAC Championship match on Saturday, November 11, with a time to be determined. Eastern Nazarene finished with an undefeated divisional season record (10-0) to earn the top spot in the West Division.
 
2023 EAST Division Tournament Field
1. MMA 10-0 HOST
2. Husson 7-3
3. VTSU Johnson 6-4
4. UMaine-Presque Isle 5-5
 
2023 WEST Division Tournament Field
1. Eastern Nazarene 10-0 HOST
2. SUNY Morrisville 8-2 
3. SUNY Cobleskill 5-5
4. SUNY Delhi 5-5
 
Championship Format & Game Times

East Quarterfinals: Saturday, November 4, 2023
Quarterfinal 1: #1 MMA vs #4 UMaine-Presque Isle – 1:00 PM
Quarterfinal 2: Husson vs VTSU Johnson – 3:00 PM

West Quarterfinals: Saturday, November 4, 2023
Quarterfinal 1: 2:00 - Eastern Nazarene vs SUNY Delhi – 2:00 PM
Quarterfinal 2: SUNY Morrisville vs SUNY Cobleskill – 4:00 PM

East Semifinals: Sunday, November 5, 2023
Quarterfinal 1 winner vs Quarterfinal 2 winner @ 12:00 PM

West Semifinals: Sunday, November 5, 2023
Quarterfinal 1 winner vs Quarterfinal 2 winner @ 1:00 PM

Championship: Saturday, November 11, 2023
West Division winner vs East Division winner @ TBD – East Champions will host