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KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Sept. 3, 2021) – The USMMA women's volleyball team used a great comeback in the third set to sweep visiting Brooklyn College, 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-18), in both teams' 2021 season-openers at the Liebertz Gymnasium on Friday night.
 
To view a photo gallery of the game, click here. Postgame interviews with senior Shelby Bowman (Redmond, Wash.) and head coach Tim Gaiser can be viewed at this link.
 
After winning the first two sets convincingly, the Mariners trailed by six points twice in the third set, including at 16-10. However, Merchant Marine strung together 11-straight points with senior Taylor Gilberston (Phoenix, Ariz.) back to serve, as she contributed three of her four aces on the night throughout the stretch, and the Mariners didn't look back.
 
Bowman led the Mariner offense with 13 kills to go along seven digs and two aces, while junior Paige Smith (Virginia Beach, Va.) also had double-digit kills with 11. Senior setter Brittney Pinzon (Fullerton, Calif.) recorded a double-double with 31 assists and 10 digs, and two others produced double-digit dig efforts – Gilbertson with a match-high 13 and junior Skyler Burnham (Reading, Pa.) with 10.
 
Gilbertson also had seven kills, while sophomore Amy Jones (Roscoe, Ill.) added six kills, Pinzon had two and freshman Virginia Robert (Lynchburg, Va.) chipped in with one. Robert also led all players in the game with four blocks, while Smith put three blocks down.
 
The Mariners hit .243 as a team (40K-14E-107A) and held the Bulldogs to just .042 (21K-17E-95-A).
 
Brooklyn was led by freshmen Aleah Rafat and Sydney Gdanski, who both had six kills each. Junior setter Ezri Shor dished out 17 assists and freshman libero Zoey Van Vleet picked up a team-best 10 digs on the night.
 
Up next, the Mariners will travel up to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to face Vassar College in a make-up of the match that was postponed this past Wednesday. The Mariners and Brewers will now square off on Tuesday night, Sept. 7, up at Vassar's Kenyon Hall Gymnasium beginning at 7 p.m. (ET). Live links to follow along will be posted on the USMMA Women's Volleyball Schedule Page.
 
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