Lady Mariners Win 2nd Straight NAC Championship and Earn Berth to NCAA Tournament

Bangor, ME - The Lady Mariners from Maine Maritime beat Husson University 3-0 in the NAC Finals to clinch their 2nd consecutive NAC Title and in turn they make their 2nd trip in as many years to the NCAA National Volleyball Tournament

In MMA's first match of the day, they were paired up with UMaine Farmington with the winner earning the right to advance to the finals against Husson, who beat Green Mountain College 3-1 in the earlier semi-final match.

MMA got out to a quick 2-0 lead before the Beavers came back to win the third game 22-25. MMA regrouped and went on the beat the Beavers 25-19 in game four, closing out the match 3-1 (25-19, 25-18, 22-25, 25-19). Amy Young (Cumberland, ME) showed why she was voted the NAC Player of the Year, collecting 13 kills, 15 digs, and 2 blocks in the win. Kristi Gordon (Auburn, ME) collected 7 kills and 3 blocks while freshman setter Heather Moore (Macedon, NY) played great, tallying 6 kills, 24 assists, 4 aces, and 5 digs.

The championship match pitted bitter rivals Maine Maritime against the #1 seeded Husson University Eagles. MMA who lost earlier in the year at Husson, won the ever important first game and never let up as they went on to beat the Eagles 3-0 (26-24, 25-21, 25-20). This is the second straight year that MMA has beaten Husson in the title game.

The Lady Mariners were once again led by junior Amy Young who had 10 kills, 6 digs and 4 service aces. Young was named the tournament Most Valuable Player for her efforts. All-Tournament Team selection Kristi Gordon had 6 kills in the match while freshman and All-Tournament Team selection Lauren Sakahara (Bellevue, WA) collected a game high 26 digs.

The Lady Mariners will move on to the NCAA Tournament which begins next weekend. The times and locations will be selected tomorrow by the NCAA. More information will be available at www.marinersports.com on Monday.

The following players were selected to the 2008 North Atlantic Conference Volleyball Championships All-Tournament Team:

Natalie Clark (Green Mountain College) - West Palm Beach, FL

Danielle O'Brien (UMaine Farmington) – Calais, ME

Allison Chepke (Husson University) - North Jackson, OH

Marion Kish (Husson University) - Wallingford, CT

Lauren Sakahara (Maine Maritime) - Bellevue, WA

Kristi Gordon (Maine Maritime) - Auburn, ME

Tournament MVP:

Amy Young (Maine Maritime) - Cumberland, ME