SAINT MARYS CITY, MD. — St. Mary's (MD) swept Penn State Berks 25-7, 25-12, 25-13 on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at Michael P. O'Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena. Despite a challenging night for Penn State Berks, which tallied a negative hitting percentage of -0.024, they recorded 34 digs in defense. St. Mary's (MD) dominated with 42 kills and 10 service aces, securing a decisive victory in the conference matchup.
The Lions started the first set with a lineup featuring Ella Griffiths, Emily Snader, and Libby Swoyer, among others. Penn State Berks initially struggled to gain momentum as St. Mary's (MD) quickly established control. Swoyer set up Madelyn Caris for a kill to put a point on the board, but errors and effective blocking by the home team limited further scoring opportunities.
St. Mary's maintained pressure with a series of kills and blocks, extending their lead. Despite a late kill by Griffiths from Mackenzie Davis, Berks was unable to close the gap significantly. The set concluded with St. Mary's leading 25-7.
In the second set, Berks struggled to gain momentum against St. Mary's (MD), despite notable contributions from Caris and Snader. Caris recorded multiple kills, supported by assists from Swoyer, while Snader also added key points to the board. However, the Seahawks maintained control, capitalizing on errors and delivering effective service aces.
Despite consistent efforts from Berks, including a late kill by Julia Zaprazny, St. Mary's (MD) closed the set strongly. St. Mary's College extended their lead with consecutive service aces and kills, concluding the set with a score of 25-12 in favor of St. Mary's (MD).
In the third set, the Lions showed resilience as they capitalized on opponent errors and strong plays from Swoyer and Caris, who contributed to a sequence of points. Despite the efforts, St. Mary's (MD) leveraged a mix of effective attacks, including kills from Maggie Mohler and Hope Parrish, to regain control.
As the set progressed, Berks gained traction with key contributions from Snader and Gabryella Maney, who executed timely kills. However, the Seahawks maintained their edge, finishing the set with a series of precise plays led by Arielle Lubeck's assists.
The set closed with St. Mary's (MD) maintaining their lead, despite a late push by Berks. The set concluded with a score of 25-13 in favor of St. Mary's (MD).
Swoyer recorded eight assists and contributed five digs over three sets. Snader added four kills and two digs, finishing with four total points. Caris tallied four kills, one block, and four digs, accumulating five points. Maney, in two sets, achieved a perfect hitting percentage with one kill and added four assists.
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WHO'S NEXT?
In their next game, Berks will travel to Phoenixville, PA, to face the University of Valley Forge. The match is set for November 1 at 1 p.m.
