3
Winner Mary Washington UMW 1-0,0-0 CAC
2
Shenandoah SU 0-1,0-0 ODAC
Winner
Mary Washington UMW
1-0,0-0 CAC
3
Final
2
Shenandoah SU
0-1,0-0 ODAC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Mary Washington UMW 25 22 25 23 15 (3)
Shenandoah SU 16 25 23 25 11 (2)
WVB v UMW

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Matt McIntosh '23, '26

Women's Volleyball Battles in Five Set Thriller to Begin 2026 Season

WINCHESTER, Va. - The Shenandoah University women's volleyball team started its 2026 season with a 3-2 loss at home to the University of Mary Washington on Tuesday night in a non-conference match.

The Hornets (0-1), trailing 2-1 in the match, pulled out a 25-23 fourth set to force the decisive frame. The Eagles (1-0) would come out on top in the fifth set, thanks to a 7-2 run, which propelled them to a 15-11 set win.

RECAP

The first kills of the season by Alana Washington and Amber Shifflett put Shenandoah ahead 4-1, but Mary Washington stormed ahead with a 10-1 run. The Hornets were unable to regain the lead in the set, giving UMW the 25-16 decision.

That first set would be the outlier of the match, as the final four sets were determined by four or fewer points, starting with the Hornets' 25-22 victory in the second. The Hornets fell behind early in the second, but multiple errors, along with a Hannah Hylton kill, flipped the score to the Hornets favor. 

Late in the set, Ashlynn Spence had a kill and a block with Riley Link, which pushed SU's lead to five, 20-15. However, Mary Washington pulled to within one at 23-22. That's as close as the visitors would get to tying the set, as two more Eagles' errors gave SU the set, tying the match at one.

The third had the teams matching each other with six early ties, leading to a 13-13 tie. The Eagles maintained the lead following the tie at 13, but kills from Spence, Hylton, and Danica Duncan kept SU within one. Then, with UMW up 22-19, the Hornets went on a 4-1 run for two more ties at 22 and 23. Despite the Hornets keeping within reach, the Eagles would come out on top in the third, putting the Hornets' back against the wall.

It looked like the Eagles might fly away with the fourth, after leading 6-2, but the Hornets swarmed back with a 7-1 run to lead 9-7. The Eagles flipped the lead back to their side of the court right away, leading late 18-14. A pair of Spence kills and a pair of aces from Alayna Cole anchored the Hornets' comeback in the frame, giving the hosts a 19-18 lead. Shenandoah ended up winning the fourth, 25-23.

Shenandoah led in the fifth at 1-0 and 4-3, but the Eagles controlled the majority of the frame, winning 15-11 and taking the opening match of the season.

Nine Shenandoah players registered a kill with Spence's 12 leading the way, followed by Hylton's nine and Duncan's six. 

Transfer Amanda Schaffer had a team-high 17 assists and first-year Alayna Cole recorded 11.

Samantha Shy, the team's libero, had a game-high 25 digs.

UP NEXT

The Hornets are at Hood College for a tri-match on Saturday, which also features Notre Dame of Maryland University. Action starts at 1 p.m. for SU.

#GoSUHornets
 
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