United States Merchant Marine Academy

KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Oct. 28, 2026) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy women's volleyball team battled back from a 2-1 deficit and overcame an early six-point hole in the decisive fifth set to defeat non-conference opponent Drew University, 3-2, in a marathon match on Wednesday night. The Mariners won by scores of 22-25, 25-21, 16-25, 25-19 and 18-16 to improve to 19-3 overall, while the Rangers fell to 10-15.
 
Match Files

• Box Score
• WATCH: Post Match Interview With Sydney Douglas 

Junior Sydney Douglas (Herndon, Va.) led Merchant Marine with 15 kills on an impressive .387 hitting percentage and added nine digs. Freshman Anna Kelly (Orange, Texas) recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs, including five kills in the decisive fifth set.
 
Junior Maddie Mayer (Centennial, Colo.) added eight kills on a .400 hitting percentage and two service aces, while sophomore Carly Soboloski (Peoria, Ariz.) helped spark the Mariners' fifth-set comeback with a crucial service ace.
 
Freshman Miranda Zeng (Cupertino, Calif.) directed the offense with 41 assists, four service aces and seven digs.
 
Drew took the opening set, 25-22, despite the Mariners battling throughout the frame. The Rangers used a late push to turn a narrow deficit into a 24-21 advantage before closing out the set.
 
Merchant Marine responded in the second, taking control early and holding off Drew down the stretch for a 25-21 victory that evened the match at one set apiece.
 
The Rangers answered emphatically in the third, hitting .438 and pulling away for a 25-16 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Facing elimination, USMMA came out strong in the fourth, building an early advantage before extending its lead to 17-12. The Mariners continued to maintain control down the stretch, and Kelly put down the final kill to secure the 25-19 victory and force a fifth set.
 
The deciding frame provided plenty of drama, as Drew raced out to a 4-0 lead behind three consecutive service aces from Victoria Latino and eventually extended its advantage to 7-1. The Mariners refused to go away, however, scoring six straight points to tie the set at 7-7, highlighted by a Soboloski ace and a Kelly kill.
 
The teams continued to trade points before Drew moved ahead, 13-11. Kelly answered with a kill to even the score at 13-13, but the Rangers earned match point at 14-13 on an Aaliyah Anderson kill. Kelly responded again with a kill to tie it at 14-14, and the Mariners took their first match-point opportunity at 15-14.
 
Drew fought off that opportunity and another at 16-15, but Kelly delivered two more crucial kills to put Merchant Marine ahead, 17-16. A Drew attack error on the ensuing rally finally ended the marathon, giving USMMA the 18-16 victory and completing the comeback.
 
The Mariners finished with 57 kills, 11 service aces and 53 digs. Drew recorded 51 kills, 10 aces and 58 digs.
 
Latino led Drew with 15 kills and five service aces, while Lindsey Millis added 10 kills and 13 digs. Aidyn Stone finished with a match-high 19 digs for the Rangers.
 
The Mariners return to action on Friday night, Oct. 30, when they travel to Montclair, N.J., for a non-conference matchup against Montclair State beginning at 7 p.m.
 
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