United States Merchant Marine Academy

KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Nov. 12, 2026) – The second-seeded U.S. Merchant Marine Academy women's volleyball team punched its ticket to the Skyline Conference Championship match with a 3-0 semifinal victory over third-seeded Farmingdale State on Thursday night at the Liebertz Gymnasium. The Mariners won by scores of 25-20, 25-17 and 28-26 to improve to 21-5, while the Rams finished their season at 16-5.
 
Match File

• Box Score
• WATCH: Farmingdale State Postgame Press Conference
• WATCH: USMMA Postgame Press Conference 

Junior Maddie Mayer (Centennial, Colo.) led all players with 13 kills on a blistering .667 hitting percentage, committing just one error on 18 attacks. Mayer also was a part of four blocks and added a service ace.
 
Freshman Anna Kelly (Orange, Texas) added 11 kills and a team-high nine digs, while junior Sydney Douglas (Herndon, Va.) finished with eight kills, two aces and three blocks. Sophomore Carly Soboloski (Peoria, Ariz.) put down five kills on a .364 hitting percentage and freshman Miranda Zeng (Cupertino, Calif.) directed the offense with 41 assists.
 
Merchant Marine hit .375 in the opening set and closed the frame with back-to-back Soboloski kills to secure a 25-20 victory. The Mariners carried that momentum into the second, using a 6-0 run to turn a 5-5 tie into an 11-5 advantage before pulling away for the 25-17 win.
 
Farmingdale State made its strongest push in the third and earned set point at 26-25, but Kelly answered with a kill to tie the score. Mayer then delivered consecutive kills to finish off the 28-26 victory and complete the sweep.
 
The Mariners finished with 46 kills on a .306 hitting percentage, 51 digs, four service aces and eight total blocks. Farmingdale State totaled 37 kills while hitting .133 for the match.
 
Leslie Wandmacher led the Rams with nine kills, while Samantha Russo added seven. Sarah Rende handed out 30 assists and served three aces, and Allison Salinas led Farmingdale State with 15 digs.
 
Up next, the Mariners advance to the Skyline Championship match for the second time in the past three seasons and will travel to top-seeded Sarah Lawrence on Saturday, Nov. 14. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. The Gryphons advanced with a 3-1 semifinal victory over four-time defending champion Manhattanville, guaranteeing that the Skyline will crown a new champion in 2026.
 
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