Powers Goes for 20 Kills in 3-0 Win Over Marymount in NCAA First Round Matchup

Powers Goes for 20 Kills in 3-0 Win Over Marymount in NCAA First Round Matchup

Junior Savannah Powers had 20 kills on 30 attacks to help the University of Mary Washington volleyball team earn a 3-0 victory over Marymount University in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament in Huntingdon, Pa., on Friday evening. Alana Harris went for 12 kills and Peyton Dunow had nine kills to help the Eagles win. The Eagles improve to 21-11 on the season. 

In the early going, the Eagles got out to a 3-0 lead thanks to kills by Harris and Tenley Hares. The Saints answered the early run and scored four straight points to take the lead 4-3. From there the two teams traded points and had five lead changes in the next nine points. UMW gained a two point advantage, 10-8, on a block by Hares and Harris. A kill by Leslie Walters and then a kill by Powers put the Eagles up three, 16-13. With the Eagles up 20-18, Wren Berry set Peyton Dunow and she scored three points to put UMW up 23-19. Harris had the set-winning kill on an assist from Wren Berry for the Eagles to take the first set 25-19.

Harris began the second set just like she began the first with a kill from Berry. Back-to-back kills from Powers and Walters gave the Eagles a 7-5 lead. Harris recorded yet another kill, this time from Maya Takashima, to push the UMW lead to 10-7. Marymount got back in the set and tied it up at 14 a piece on a service ace. The Eagles responded and scored three straight points to go up 18-15. After a Marymount timeout, they went on a 6-3 run to tie the set up at 21-21. A Walters kill and an attack error put the Eagles up two, 23-21. The Saints called another timeout and scored the next two points to tie the score yet again at 23-23. The two teams battled it out from there as they matched every point until finally the Eagles broke through and won two in a row on a kill by Dunow and then a kill from Powers to take the second set 30-28.

UMW again took an early lead in the third, 2-1, after an attack error. The Eagles pushed their lead to 7-4 on an attack by Powers from Ryan Cho. Harris maintained the Eagles three point lead, 10-7, on a kill from Berry. Marymount went on a run to tie the match up at 11-11. Dunow served up an ace to put UMW back ahead 15-13. The Eagles took a four point lead, 20-16, on yet another kill from Powers. Marymount closed the gap and tied the game at 22-22 and then took a 23-22 advantage. Powers put down a kill and Berry served an ace to close out the match for UMW, 25-23.

Berry dished out 41 assists and had 10 digs, while Cho had 17 digs and nine assists. The Eagles hit .309 and only had 15 attack errors. 

UMW advances to the second round of the NCAA tournament and they will play the winner of Juniata vs. Notre Dame (Md.) at 5 p.m.