The St. Mary’s College of Maryland women’s volleyball team marked Senior Day with a 3-0 sweep of Cedar Crest College on Saturday, October 18, before dropping a 3-0 decision to Eastern University in a tri-meet at the Michael P. O’Brien Athletics and Recreation Center Arena.
The split leaves the Seahawks at 11-12 overall and 5-1 in United East Conference matches, keeping them in contention midway through the regular season.
St. Mary’s controlled the opener against Cedar Crest from the first serve, winning 25-13, 25-15, 25-14. The home team posted a .304 hitting percentage, its highest of the afternoon, and never surrendered the lead in the initial set. A decisive 10-1 run in the third frame sealed the sweep after Cedar Crest narrowed a nine-point gap.
Julia Bobrowski paced the attack with 12 kills on a .321 efficiency, including two aces and one block. Maya Mauro contributed six kills and three aces, while Sanaa Porter and Faith Shockley tallied nine kills between them and six blocks total to disrupt the Falcons’ offense. Setter Arielle Lubeck distributed 28 assists to fuel the effort, and libero Stella Marrero led the back row with eight digs and five service aces.
Team statistics reflected the dominance: St. Mary’s outkilled Cedar Crest 44-16, committed 13 errors to the visitors’ 14 on 102 attempts, and edged out in points 62-21. Cedar Crest managed 14 assists and four aces but only one block against the Seahawks’ four.
The momentum shifted in the nightcap against Eastern, a 16-5 squad from the MAC Commonwealth. The Eagles prevailed 25-22, 25-18, 25-15, pulling ahead after tight exchanges in the opening frames. St. Mary’s hung within three points through much of the first set but managed just 18 points in the second as Eastern’s serving disrupted rhythm.
Mauro emerged as the top performer with 15 kills, her season high, plus one ace. Shockley added five kills and two blocks, Porter notched five kills, and Hope Parrish contributed five kills. Marrero anchored defense with 16 digs, her team best, while setter Camilla Galeano recorded 10 assists and six digs. The Seahawks hit .092 on 36 kills against nine errors on 120 swings, trailing Eastern’s .281 mark on 41 kills and five blocks to St. Mary’s zero.
Eastern converted five aces and 38 assists into 56 points, compared to St. Mary’s 41. The Eagles, ranked among nonconference challengers, improved to 3-1 in league play with the victory.
The results cap a week that included a 3-0 sweep of Wilson College on October 15, boosting St. Mary’s conference mark to 5-1 and positioning the team fourth in the United East standings behind Gallaudet (7-0), Lancaster Bible (7-1) and Penn State Harrisburg (5-1). The Seahawks’ .833 winning percentage ties them for second but places them behind on tiebreakers like head-to-head results.
St. Mary’s entered the weekend with sweeps over Keystone and Wilson, extending a three-match conference winning streak that highlighted improved blocking and serve-receive passing.
The Seahawks finished 9-16 last season, their first full year in United East, with Mauro earning all-conference honorable mention as a sophomore. This year’s roster blends returners like Bobrowski, a senior outside hitter, with freshmen contributors, aiming for a top-four seed in the conference tournament set for November 8-9 at the top seed’s site.
The Senior Day ceremony, held between matches, recognized graduating players for their roles in program milestones, though specific honors aligned with the sweep’s celebratory tone. St. Mary’s returns Wednesday, October 22, hosting Penn State Brandywine at 7 p.m. in the O’Brien Arena. The Lions sit eighth at 4-2 in conference, providing a chance to reclaim momentum before road trips to Penn State Abington on October 25 and Gallaudet on October 29.
As fall progresses in Southern Maryland’s tidewater setting, the Seahawks’ schedule intersects with regional events like the St. Mary’s County Fair, drawing families to campus for combined athletics and community engagement. The team’s 11 wins already surpass last year’s total through 16 dates, signaling growth under fifth-year head coach Mike Maginn, who joined in 2021 with a focus on defensive schemes suited to Division III parity.
