St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s volleyball team looked headed for a rough start to conference play Saturday, dropping the first two sets to Cairn University. Instead, the Seahawks (8-5, 1-0 United East) dug in and reeled off three straight sets to steal a 3-2 comeback win over the Highlanders (8-4, 0-1 United East) and claim their first conference victory of the season.
Cairn came out sharp, taking the opening set 25-19. The second set turned into a battle — 11 ties, six lead changes — before the Highlanders edged it 27-25 to take a commanding two-set lead. For most teams, that’s the kind of hole that ends a match. St. Mary’s had other plans.
The Seahawks scratched out a 25-23 win in the third set to stay alive, then carried that momentum into the fourth, taking it 25-20 to force a decisive fifth. By the time the match reached its final frame, Cairn had nothing left to answer with — St. Mary’s closed it out 15-10, holding the Highlanders to a negative hitting percentage in the set that decided the match.
The comeback was a team effort. Julia Bobrowski turned in the kind of all-around performance that swings matches, finishing with 12 kills, 17 digs and a match-high nine service aces. Maya Mauro led the Seahawks offensively with 14 kills and added 10 digs, while Vlada Costenco chipped in 11 kills and Hope Parrish added eight kills and a solo block.
Behind the scenes, the Seahawks’ back row and setters kept the offense running: Stella Marrero dished out a team-high 21 assists to go with 20 digs, and Lauren Panageotou added 18 assists and eight digs. Elizabeth Childs anchored the defense with a team-high 22 digs, and Falynn Tackett contributed 11 more.
St. Mary’s outscored Cairn 76-68 for the match despite hitting for a lower percentage (.119 to .149) and finishing with fewer kills, 54 to 57 — a sign of how much the Seahawks’ serving and defense, not just their attack, tilted the match in their favor. St. Mary’s finished with 14 aces to Cairn’s six and eight blocks to Cairn’s five.
The Seahawks are back in action Monday, Sept. 28, traveling to Norfolk, Virginia, to face Regent University at Norfolk Christian School.
