Members of the St. Mary’s College of Maryland volleyball team compete with one another during an intra-squad scrimmage match in the latter portion of last week’s final practice before heading to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland sophomore volleyball player Elizabeth Ann “E.A.” Childs, a Leonardtown High School graduate, prepares to deliver a serve in last week’s final practice before the Seahawks headed to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland sophomore volleyball player Faith Shockley, a Huntingtown High School graduate, prepares to launch a serve in last week’s final practice before the Seahawks headed to the NCAA Division III National Volleyball Tournament.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland senior volleyball player Julia Bobrowski, a Leonardtown High School graduate, rotates into position during the team’s fina l practice last week before heading to the NCAA Division III National Volleyball Tournament.
Members of the St. Mary’s College of Maryland volleyball team compete with one another during an intra-squad scrimmage match in the latter portion of last week’s final practice before heading to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament.
TED BLACK/Southern Maryland News
St. Mary’s College of Maryland sophomore volleyball player Elizabeth Ann “E.A.” Childs, a Leonardtown High School graduate, prepares to deliver a serve in last week’s final practice before the Seahawks headed to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament.
TED BLACK/Southern Maryland News
St. Mary’s College of Maryland sophomore volleyball player Faith Shockley, a Huntingtown High School graduate, prepares to launch a serve in last week’s final practice before the Seahawks headed to the NCAA Division III National Volleyball Tournament.
TED BLACK/Southern Maryland News
St. Mary’s College of Maryland senior volleyball player Julia Bobrowski, a Leonardtown High School graduate, rotates into position during the team’s fina l practice last week before heading to the NCAA Division III National Volleyball Tournament.
Although many of them hail from high school and club programs that have earned ample success, a trio of Southern Maryland Athletic Conference veterans on the St. Mary’s College of Maryland volleyball team admitted they had far more detractors than backers heading into the Nov. 15 United East Conference tournament title match at Penn State Harrisburg.
St. Mary’s College (17-14) had been swept by Penn State Harrisburg (21-6) when the two teams met on Oct. 4 and the Seahawks appeared destined for a similar fate when the Nittany Lions took the first two sets of the UEC championship match 25-19, 25-13. To several enthusiastic supporters in the student section, another Penn State Harrisburg sweep was so imminent that they began waving brooms, the equivalent of a silent sweep chant.
St. Mary’s senior Julia Bobrowski, who still has the option of playing one more season with the Seahawks, and sophomore Faith Shockley both confessed the premature site of the brooms provided inspiration and motivation for what was about to happen. Bolstered by the mocking gesture, St. Mary’s rallied to take the next three sets, 25-20, 25-21 and 15-6 to emphatically garner its first UEC tournament title.
“After we were down 2-0 I could see a few of the students holding up the brooms,” said Bobrowski, who attended Coastal Carolina as a freshman but did not play volleyball for that school which saved her a year of playing eligibility for a possible season with the Seahawks next fall. “I think that really gave us a little more motivation. For me, knowing that it could be my last match, I was just really motivated to keep the season going.”
“When the student section started waving the brooms that really bothered some of us,” St. Mary’s sophomore middle blocker Faith Shockley said. “They swept us the first time we played them, so no one gave us a chance. No one thought we could go up there and beat them. But we just went back to playing our style of volleyball the next three sets.”
St. Mary’s College sophomore defensive specialist Elizabeth Ann “E.A.” Childs, a Leonardtown High School product who was part of the Raiders’ first 4A East Region title team, never saw the brooms on display but admitted the PSU Harrisburg vocal student section provided the Seahawks with ample motivation.
“Once we won that third set [25-20] there was no going back,” Childs said. “I think that gave us all the confidence we needed to win the next two sets. Then after we won the fourth set [25-21] we knew we were going to take the fifth set. We just came out so confident. We just took control right from the start.”
Sanaa Porter (12 kills), Maya Mauro (11 kills) and Bobrowski (10 kills) led the Seahawks attack, while Camilla Galeano (22 set assists) and Annelle Lubeck (17 assists) and Mauro (15 digs), Galeano (12 digs) and Bobrowski (10 digs) all contributed to the cause in various ways.
Last Thursday afternoon, Nov. 20, however, the St. Mary’s College volleyball team’s historic season came to an end when the Seahawks were swept by Wisconsin Eau-Claire in straight sets in the opening round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament. Bobrowski led the Seahawks attack with 10 kills, while Mauro and Porter added four kills each in the setback.
