Box Score CASTINE--Defense was the name of the game tonight. Although Maine Maritime's North Atlantic Conference-leading offense was a little off, the Mariners' defense suffocated 
visiting Thomas College, 25-22, 25-19, 25-13, in the NAC opener for both teams at Smith Gymnasium on Wednesday evening. Maine Maritime snaps a three-match losing streak and improves to 4-7 on the season, while Thomas now stands at 0-8.

Maine Maritime Highlights

• Senior setter Katie Albritton recorded a match-high 16 assists and had seven kills (.238).
• Sophomore Sydney Williams led all hitters with eight kills, while classmate Ally Hadley chipped in with seven.
• Junior Ila Smith made seven kills while hitting .353.
• Freshman Hannah Tate produced a double-double with a match-best 15 digs and 12 assists. She also led all student-athletes with three service aces.

Thomas Highlights

• Terrier leaders were Einy Mendez (6 kills) and Ana Romero (13 assists, 8 digs).
• Sariah Putnam and MJ Rose tied for the match lead with three total blocks.

First Set

• MMA held Thomas to a .079 attack percentage, producing 15 kills to nine for the Terriers.
• After a slow start in which the visitors took an 8-4 lead, the Mariners scored four unanswered points--taking advantage of three TC attack errors--to even things at 8-all. 
• The teams battled for the next several points until the Mariners took control to end the set on a 10-7 run. Consecutive kills by Williams broke a 15-15 tie as the Mariners eventually won the opening set by three points.

Second Set

• The Mariners defense took center stage as MMA went up 2-0 in the match. The Terriers hit just .034 while Maine Maritime almost tripled TC in kills (12-5).
• An Albritton ace put the Mariners in front for good, 15-14, as they won six of the final seven points. 

Third Set

• The Mariners dominated the final frame by outhitting the Terriers, .259 to minus-.038.
• MMA never trailed while holding leads of 4-1, 8-3, 11-4, 17-7 and 23-10.

Beyond the Boxscore

• For the match, Maine Maritime also held statistical advantages in attack efficiency (.170-.032), kills (37-18), aces (9-1) and digs (50-39).
• The Mariners are favored to win the NAC East Division, receiving all five first-place votes, in the coaches preseason poll.
• MMA now leads the all-time series 9-0 as the schools were meeting for the first time since the 2009 campaign.
• The .032 attack percentage defense is the lowest MMA has held an NAC opponent since the 2023 conference tournament quarterfinals and the second-best figure this fall.

Up Next

• Maine Maritime steps out of conference play to host UMaine-Fort Kent on Friday (6 p.m.) right here in Smith Gymnasium.