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Frostburg State Golden in 3-0 Sweep in Capital Championship Match
Story and Photo Courtesy of the Frostburg St. Athletics Site
FROSTBURG, Md. - After struggling to defeat York in the Capital Athletic Conference semifinals Thursday, the Frostburg State volleyball team brought a championship-caliber performance to Bobcat Arena on Saturday afternoon as it defeated Mary Washington, 3-0, to win the CAC title.
The three-game sweep marks the 23rd of the season for the
Bobcats (32-3), but none came on a bigger stage. Frostburg got off
to a fast start, scoring the first five points and forcing Mary
Washington to burn a timeout. The Bobcats kept pressuring the
middle of the Eagles' defense, dropping tips or crashing kills into
the exposed areas. The Bobcats cruised to a 25-12 win. Senior
outside hitter Sarah
Stephens (Oakland, Md./Southern Garrett) led the charge
in game one, netting seven of her match-high 16 kills. Junior
setter Kylie
Carrington (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock) dished out 16
assists in the first game.
Mary Washington (19-9) gained its composure in the second game and
did not trail until 22-21. The Bobcats, who trailed by as many as
six points, fought back to finally pull even at 17 apiece. The game
was tied at six different occasions, all coming at that 17th point
or later. Frostburg did manage to score the final three points of
the game to win, 25-23, and take a commanding 2-0 lead in the
match.
With the third game tied 3-3, Frostburg used a 12-4 run to put the
game - and the match - out of reach. The Bobcats put the finishing
touches on their first CAC title in their first year in the
conference with an easy 25-11 victory. Senior outside hitter
Jamie
Thomas (Laurel, Md./Reservoir) finished with nine kills
and 12 digs, while senior libero Brittany
McVearry (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) finished with
13 digs and three aces. One of those included the
championship-clinching point in front of a standing crowd.
Stephens finished with 16 kills and eight digs. Junior outside
hitter Amber
Winterling (Glenelg, Md./Glenelg) chipped in with 10
digs. Carrington finished with 37 assists.
The Bobcats earn the CAC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament
and will find out Monday where they will be placed. A tournament
preview will be available early next week at
frostburgsports.com.
