Bluefield State Captures 2022 USCAA Division I Volleyball Title

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Bluefield State made a run through the elimination bracket of the 2022 USCAA Division I Volleyball Championships and defeated Maine-Fort Kent twice on Saturday to capture the championship.

The Big Blue won the first match 25-14, 29-27, 21-25, 25-15 to force the winner-take-all match.  In that one Bluefield State scored a 14-25, 25-17, 21-25, 25-21, 15-12 win.

The final match saw Maine-Fort Kent jump out to a 2-1 set advantage, before the Big Blue held as much as a six-point advantage in the fourth set at 19-13 following a Lindsey Neal kill.  UMFK responded with the next six points to tie at 19 following an attack error.  After the teams traded points, Bluefield State scored five of the last six to even the match with a 25-21 set win.

In the fifth set, UMFK held a 12-8 lead following a kill by Mylei Moli before Bluefield State went wild and scored the last seven points of the match.  A pair of Kateryna Dashevska kills to go with a pair of Allyson Martin kills highlighted the final seven-point outburst to give Bluefield State its title.

Dashevska and Martin had 14 kills and 13 digs each in the title clincher for Bluefield State, while Brishaela McHaney added 12 kills.  Jaime Nena had 14 kills and 15 digs to lead UMFK, while Halle Ham had 20 digs in the final match.

ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM

UMFK – Kayla Iwata, Jamie Nena

Carlow – Rebecca Hess

Bluefield State – Alison Martin, Brishaela McHaney

TOURNAMENT MVP

Buefield State – Katerina Dashevska