CASTINE, Maine – The Maine Maritime Academy volleyball team extended its winning streak and remained unbeaten in North Atlantic Conference play with a pair of straight-set victories over VTSU-Johnson on Saturday at Smith Gymnasium. While junior
Hannah Tate became the fourth player in program history to eclipse 1,000-career digs.
The Mariners opened the day with a dominant 25-7, 25-17, 25-15 victory before completing the sweep of the doubleheader with a 25-9, 25-11, 25-20 win. Maine Maritime improved to 12-9 overall and 8-0 in NAC action.
In the opener, Maine Maritime hit .279 as a team and totaled 41 kills, 15 service aces and 50 digs. Senior
Sydney Williams led the attack with 16 kills, five aces and nine digs while hitting .536. Freshman
Lyla Annen added 13 kills, freshman
Jaslene Butler posted eight kills on a .667 hitting percentage, and freshman
Faith Reed directed the offense with 33 assists and six service aces. Tate anchored the defense with 15 digs.
The Mariners raced through the first set, using six service aces to cruise to a 25-7 victory. Maine Maritime closed out the second set, 25-17, before putting away the match with a 25-15 win in the third.
Maine Maritime remained in control during the second match, recording 37 kills, 12 aces and six team blocks. Williams once again paced the Mariners with 17 kills, eight service aces and three blocks.
Annen contributed nine kills while hitting .471, and Reed added 29 assists. Freshman
Kelsie Murray was a force at the net with five block assists and six total blocks, while
Hannah Tate collected 14 digs.
The Mariners claimed the opening two sets by scores of 25-9 and 25-11 before fending off a stronger challenge in the third set. After VTSU-Johnson pulled within 22-20, Maine Maritime scored the final three points of the match to secure the 25-20 victory and complete the sweep.
Across both matches, Williams totaled 33 kills, 13 service aces and 17 digs, while Annen added 22 kills. Reed accumulated 62 assists and seven aces, helping the Mariners finish the day with a perfect 6-0 set record.
Maine Maritime heads into the final stretch of the regular season unbeaten in conference play and firmly positioned atop the NAC standings and return to action on Saturday on the road against Vermont State University Lyndon at 4 and 6 p.m.
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