Virginia Beach, VA – St. Mary of the Woods College defeats Bluefield State College, 3-0, to take home the 2021 Division I Volleyball Small College National Championship.
In set one of action, Bluefield jumped to the early 3-1 lead on 3 consecutive kills from the Big Blues. But it wasn't long before the Pomeroy's found their stride. Tying the game at 3-3 on a service ace from Alondra Garcia, St. Mary of the Woods never looked back. A balanced attack from Hannah Zuege and Alexis Woodburn extended the SMWC lead to 12-6 midway through the set. Bluefield State's Katerina Dashevska attacked the court from all angles, but the solid defense from the Pomeroy's held Bluefield to just 16 points as St. Mary of the Woods won the first set with relative ease.
The second set started like the first as Bluefield fell behind early, 2-6. But it wasn't long before Dashevska and Dajah Farmer came alive on offensive to bring the game to an 11-11 tie, forcing a St. Mary of the Woods timeout. Out of the timeout, the two teams traded points through a 17-17 tie when a big kill from Katelyn Bucy turned the tieds for St. Mary of the Woods. Extending their lead to 20-18 on a Zuege kill, the Pomeroy's looked to be in the driver's seat, but a pair of errors let the Big Blue back into the game at 20-20. Again, critical errors from Bluefield gave St. Mary of the Woods an edge, as they went on to claim the set 25-22.
Sitting behind a 2-0 deficit, Bluefield came out firing on all cylinders in the third jumping out to an early 8-2 lead behind their offensive leader, Katerina Dashevska. But the Pomeroy's didn't panic. They slowly played their way back into the set, coming within one (9-10) on a kill from Jocelyn Rivas. The set would see three more tie scores midway through as the teams continued to battle in this title game. A kill by Rivas followed by a service ace from Bucy would give St. Mary of the Woods a 3-point lead (21-18) late, but again Bluefield battled back, seeking their first USCAA championship. A pair of kills from Dashevska in combination with errors from the Pomeroy's led to a 1-point Bluefield lead late in the set (22-21) forcing another timeout from St. Mary of the Woods. Out of the timeout, a kill from SMWC's Farmer tied the game at 22-22 and another kill from Alexis Woodburn gave them the 23-22 lead. They kept the pressure on Bluefield with a service ace from Anna Esquivel, forcing match point at 24-22. A kill from Bluefeild's Danielle Butler brought the Big Blue back within one, but St. Mary of the Wood's, Rivas sealed the championship with a kill on match point, ending the set with a final score of 25-23.
Leading the attack for Bluefield was Katerina Dashevska who tallied an impressive 19 kills on 53 attempts, a showing impressive enough to earn her a spot on the All-Tournament team. Joining her was setter, Veronica Butler who dished out 30 assists in the match.
Standout players from St. Mary of the Woods included Jocelyn Rivas and Hannah Zuege who each tallied 15 kills. But they wouldn't have been the offensive studs they were without setter, Adrienne Roberts who amassed 36 assists in the match. This trio's performance resulted in their naming to the All-Tournament team as well, with Hannah Zuege being named your 2021 Tournament MVP.
Carlow University defeated University of Maine Fort Kent in the third place match with a standout performance from Carlow's Jenna Yezovich who also earned an All-Tournament spot.
2021 All-Tournament Team
Adrienne Roberts – St. Mary of the Woods
Veronica Butler – Bluefield State
Jocelyn Rivas – St. Mary of the Woods
Katerina Dashevska – Bluefield State
Jenna Yesovich – Carlow University
Tournament MVP
Hannah Zuege – St. Mary of the Woods
Player of the Year
Halle Ham - University of Maine Fort Kent
Coach of the Year
Savanna Hammond - Bluefield State College
Student-Athlete of the Year
Sophia Giza - Bay Path University