BISMARCK, N.D. - On the edge of a potentially stellar week, the University of Mary Volleyball team hosted Bemidji State University to round out the homecoming weekend.
 
The Marauders (8-6, 3-2 NSIC) hit a season best .369 in the match as they swept the Beavers (4-10, 2-3 NSIC) in straight sets to cap off the 3-0 week in conference play.
 
Bemidji State showed flashes of their sturdiness when they broke a 4-4 tie with five of the next six points off three kills, a service ace and a Marauder error, to hold a 9-5 lead early on in the first set. The Marauders responded in kind, however, with a 5-1 run of their own thanks to a Lauren Randall kill, an Elizabeth Garcia kill, two Katelyn Olson service aces and a Beaver error, to tie the set once again at 10-10.
 
The Beavers seemingly had the momentum back in their favor with the next point coming off a kill, but the Marauders rallied off eight straight points from three kills, one each from Garcia, Thayna Silva, and Rachel Astrup, in addition to two Alex Brown service aces, a team block from Silva and Astrup and two Beaver errors, for a commanding 18-13 lead.
 
Bemidji State finally broke the rally with three straight points off two kills and a team block, but the Marauders would not relinquish the lead s they kept the Beavers on a 21-16 cushion before scoring four straight points off a kill apiece from Randall and Garcia and two Bemidji State errors to close the first set at 25-16.
 
Alex Brown surpassed a career milestone in the first set as she reach 1000 digs on her career, only the second Marauder to accomplish the feat since U-Mary made the transition to Division-II.
 
The second set was uncannily similar to the first as Bemidji State held an early 9-6 with U-Mary closing the gap to 9-8. The Beavers held onto the lead at 11-8 but the Marauders opened up the sails and rode a 5-1 run of two Silva kills, a Geovana Almeida kill and two Beaver errors to retake the lead at 13-12.
 
The score remained close en route to the Beavers holding a 18-17 lead, yet once again the Marauders rode the wave of an 8-2 run coming from five Alexis Jacobs kills, a Garcia solo block, a Bemidji State error and Garcia providing the final point of a convincing smash in the middle of the net for a 25-20 victory in set two.
 
In what would be the final set, the Marauders faced the same situation once again with Bemidji State owning a 7-5 lead early on, but U-Mary hit the gas pedal with a 5-1 run from two Randall kills, two Garcia kills and a team block from Jacobs and Garcia, to grab onto the lead at 10-8.
 
The Beavers eventually closed the gap at 12-12, but the Marauders were firing on all cylinders with another massive 8-1 run off an Almeida kill, two Randall kills, a Jacobs kill and three team blocks off Paige Smith anchoring the middle of the net with Silva, Randall and Silva again to power the Marauders to a 20-13 lead.
 
U-Mary wouldn't let up from there despite Bemidji State having one last gasp in them, but the cherry on top of the three-set sweep was Alexis Jacobs as she punctuated the match with the final kill on a 25-17 third set win.
 
The Marauders used the trident approach when it came to the offense as three players recorded double digit kills in the match. Lauren Randall led all players with 12 kills on 22 attacks for a .500 hitting percentage in addition to two digs and one block assist.
 
Elizabeth Garcia provided a hand in every phase of the match with 11 kills on 14 attacks for a staggering .714 hitting percentage to go with 2 digs, one solo block and one block assist.
 
Jacobs rounded out the trio with 10 kills on 24 attacks for a .375 hitting percentage and 15 digs for her fourth double-double and ninth straight match with at least 10 kills. She also added one block assist in the match.
 
Geovana Almeida and Katelyn Olson split time again driving the offense as Almeida finished with 20 assists and Olson ended up with 19. Almeida also recorded 11 digs for her first career double-double to go with three kills, while Olson atted two service aces and a dig.
 
Alex Brown finished with 19 digs in the match, which puts her career total at 1013, to go with two service aces and two assists.
 
Thayna Silva had a hand in all aspects as well with nine kills, a .240 hitting percentage, two service aces, three block assists and five digs in the match.
 
The Marauders will head out on the road next week to take on the University of Minnesota Duluth on Friday, October 2, starting at 7 p.m., before taking on St. Cloud State University on Saturday, October 3, at 4 p.m.
 
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