Scranton, Pa. — Marywood University enters the Atlantic East Conference volleyball playoffs as the fourth seed for the fourth consecutive season. The Pacers welcome No. 5 Centenary University on Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. The first round matchup will be streamed on the Atlantic East Network.
Marywood (9-21, 2-3) secured the first-round home date with a 3-1 win over Centenary on Wednesday, Oct. 25. Needing a win to decide the fourth and fifth seeds, the Pacers posted a 25-21, 25-20, 22-25, 25-20 victory against the Cyclones.
With a victory, Marywood would either travel to top-seeded Marymount University or No. 2 Neumann University in the semifinal. Its destination would be dependent on the other first-round matchup between No. 3 Gwynedd Mercy and No. 6 Immaculata.
Marywood closed off its regular season with a split at the Vassar College tri-match. The Pacers outlasted Russell Sage College in four sets.
Rebecca Klemovitch and
Casey Hagerstrom each had 15 kills. Marywood lost to host Vassar in the other match,
Since the Pacers upended the Cyclones in late October, the Cyclones (11-9, 1-4) went 2-2 to close the regular season. Centenary upset King's and Bryn Athyn in four and five sets, respectively. The Cyclones lost to both Neumann and Ramapo in three sets.
Centenary makes its second postseason appearance in 12 years. The Cyclones made the postseason for the first time since 2011 last season when it faced No. 3 Neumann in the first round.
Series History with the Cyclones
Marywood has a 16-4 record (.750) all-time against the Cyclones. The Pacers' six-match winning streak dating back to 2012 came to a halt in 2022. Centenary defeated the Pacers 3-2 in the regular season.
This is the first postseason meeting between the Pacers and Cyclones.
In their previous matchup earlier this season, Marywood earned a 3-1 win over the Cyclones. Marywood won by scores of 25-21, 25-20, 22-25, 25-20.
Casey Hagerstrom led the Pacers with 15 kills and a .406 attack percentage. She also had three aces and a block assist for a then-season high 18 1/2 points.
Mikayla Meek and
Libby Smith each totaled 14 points.
Jaedyn Laws garnered a double-double of 39 assists and 11 digs.
Gianna Norton totaled 26 digs. Centenary's Poppy Skjonnemand tallied 20 kills and a .275 hitting percentage.
Players to Watch
Gianna Norton, Fr., L: In just her first season, Norton ranks 29th in NCAA Division III with 529 digs. She is 62nd nationally with 5.04 digs per set. Norton leads the Atlantic East in both categories.
Casey Hagerstrom, Sr., MH: Hagerstrom has been selected to the Atlantic East Weekly Honor Roll each of the past two weeks. She ranks fifth in the Atlantic East for the second straight season with a .210 hitting percentage. Hagerstrom has 167 kills on the season. Over the past five matches, she has a .390 hitting percentage.
Rebecca Klemovitch, Sr., MH: Klemovitch returned from a two-year absence with 17 kills in the Pacers' tri-match at Vassar. In her last season, she was Second Team All-Atlantic East with 2.3 kills per game and a .221 hitting percentage.
Poppy Skjonnemand, Fr., OH: Centenary's freshman led the Atlantic East with 320.5 points and 284 kills. She averages four kills per set with a .207 attack percentage. Skjonnnemand has six matches with 20-plus kills, including season-highs of 25 against Cairn and Sarah Lawrence.
Alyssa Bizzarro, Sr., MB: Bizzarro posted 141 kills, averaging 1.99 per set for a .152 attack percentage. She ranks second on the squad with 39 aces.
