Seagulls Win Championship at Garnet Classic
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- The Salisbury volleyball team swept all four matches to capture the championship plaque at the sixth annual Garnet Classic on Sept. 13-14. Led by Most Valuable Player Rachel Downes (Salisbury, Md. / Salisbury Christian), the Seagulls posted a 3-1 win over host Swarthmore in the final match by set scores of 25-13, 23-25, 25-21, 25-18.
Salisbury (10-1) posted victories over Clark, Cabrini and Swarthmore (twice) on the way to their first Garnet Classic championship. Downes, a junior outside hitter, figured prominently in the potent Salisbury offensive attack, posting a tournament-high .472 hitting percentage with 39 kills in 72 attempts (only five errors). The six-footer also showed defensive flair, averaging 2.83 digs, as the Seagulls dropped just one set over the two days of competition in muggy Tarble Pavilion.
Downes was joined on the All-Tournament squad by senior outside hitter Stacey Krebs (Eldersburg, Md. / Liberty)—the duo tied for the team-high with 11 kills in the championship match with Swarthmore. Krebs (pictured left) led all players with 43 kills at the tournament (3.91 per set), while posting a .278 hitting percentage. This is her second All-Tournament selection at the Garnet Classic (the Seagulls fell to Stevens Institute of Technology in the 2007 championship match).
After picking up two wins on the first day of action, Swarthmore (3-8) earned its fourth appearance in the Classic championship match. Outside hitters Jen Wang (Palo Alto, Calif. / Henry Gunn) and Genny Pezzola (Oakland, Calif. / St. Mary’s College HS) were selected for the All-Tournament squad. Wang, a senior 
captain, was third among all players with 3.75 kills per set, including a 26-kill performance against Cabrini on Saturday night. Pezzola (right) was present on all areas of the floor for the Garnet, averaging 3.56 kills, a tournament-high 0.81 service aces and 3.50 digs per set (second amongst all participants).
Cabrini (4-6) picked up a pair of wins over Clark (3-4) on Sunday, including a 3-1 victory in the consolation match. The Lady Cavaliers were led by freshman outside hitter Alexis Doss (West Grove, Pa. / St. Elizabeth’s), who earned All-Tournament status after posting a team-high 39 kills.
Panthers’ junior defensive specialist, Emily Visone (West Hempstead, N.Y. / West Hempstead), earned an All-Tournament nod after leading Clark with 54 digs.
Day One Results:
Swarthmore 3, Clark 2 (25-15, 25-12, 22-25, 25-27, 15-11) BOX
Salisbury 3, Cabrini 0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-15) BOX
Swarthmore 3, Cabrini 1 (25-27, 25-23, 25-13, 25-22) BOX
Salisbury 3, Clark 0 (25-14, 25-10, 25, 25-20) BOX
Day Two Results:
Salisbury 3, Swarthmore 0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-17) BOX
Cabrini 3, Clark 0 (25-23, 25-9, 25-17) BOX
Championship – Salisbury 3, Swarthmore 1 (25-13, 23-25, 25-21, 25-18) BOX
Consolation – Cabrini 3, Clark 1 (25-15, 20-25, 25-16, 25-16) BOX
All Tournament Team:
Alexis Doss, Cabrini
Rachel Downes, Salisbury (MVP)
Stacey Krebs, Salisbury
Genny Pezzola, Swarthmore
Emily Visone, Clark
Jen Wang, Swarthmore