PITTSBURGH — St. Mary’s College of Maryland women’s volleyball made program history Thursday, competing in the NCAA Division III Championship for the first time, but the Seahawks dropped a 3-0 decision to No. 5 Wisconsin–Eau Claire in the opening round at the Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics.
The Blugolds (28-4) defeated the Seahawks (17-15) by set scores of 25-13, 25-23 and 25-13 to advance in the national tournament.
St. Mary’s, champions of the United East Conference, showed flashes of competitiveness, particularly in a tightly contested second set where the Seahawks pushed Wisconsin–Eau Claire to the limit before a late 4-1 Blugolds run sealed the match.
Outside hitter Julia Bobrowski paced St. Mary’s with 10 kills on .409 hitting, one ace, two blocks and seven digs. Sanaa Porter and Maya Mauro each added four kills, with Porter contributing two blocks and Mauro recording seven digs. Libero Stella Marrero led the back-row effort with six digs and two service aces.
Setters Camilla Galeano and Lauren Panageotou combined for 17 assists, while Faith Shockley recorded a team-high three total blocks.
Wisconsin–Eau Claire hit .297 as a team and was led by Bailey Leeke’s match-high 19 kills. The Blugolds registered 42 kills to St. Mary’s 24 and held advantages in assists (40-23) and digs (43-31).
The appearance marked the culmination of a breakthrough season for head coach Laura Morgan’s program. The Seahawks captured the United East regular-season and tournament titles, finishing 17-15 overall and earning the conference’s automatic NCAA bid.
St. Mary’s College, located in St. Mary’s City, becomes the first United East volleyball program to reach the NCAA Division III tournament since the conference rebranded in 2021. The Seahawks entered the postseason ranked fourth in the final United East poll and carried a seven-match win streak into Thursday’s contest.
The NCAA first-round match was played on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University as part of an eight-team regional pod hosted in Pittsburgh. Wisconsin–Eau Claire advanced to face the winner of Thursday’s match between host Carnegie Mellon and MIT.
Despite the sweep, St. Mary’s showed marked improvement from earlier non-conference losses to nationally ranked opponents, holding the No. 5 Blugolds to their third-lowest hitting percentage of the season in the second set (.193).
The Seahawks lose only two seniors from the 2025 roster and return the majority of their core, including Bobrowski, Porter, Mauro, Galeano and Marrero, positioning the program for continued growth in the United East and potential future postseason runs.
