ST, DAVIDS, Pa.- Eastern University Women's Volleyball claimed the final two sets to beat the nine-time defending MAC Commonwealth Champion Stevenson University Mustangs and claim the program's first MAC Commonwealth Title with a five-set win. Though Eastern has never won a MAC Commonwealth Championship, the program is very familiar with post-season success. The league championship is the 22nd in the last 24 seasons for Head Coach Mark Birtwistle and his program. Sophomore right-side hitter Jailene Lugo was named Tournament MVP for her play this afternoon and in a five-set win over Messiah in the semifinal.

The Eagles (24-5) needed toughness to close out the match against the veteran group from Stevenson. They built a 9-4 edge and caught an unlucky break after Grace Will appeared to serve her fourth ace of the match. After a misplay by a Stevenson passer, another defender raced toward the back wall to try to save it. The player could not elude the line judge in her pursuit and the top official awarded a replay.

The Mustangs (26-6) won the replay and the next three points to pull within a point at 9-8. After the two sides traded side outs, the Eagles scored twice with Trinity Gruber at the service line. Kaylyn Zeigler, playing in her first match since getting injured in late September, put down a kill for a 12-9 edge. That kill hit the block square and flew out of bounds behind the entire Eastern defense. Bridgette Kelly terminated a point for a 13-9 edge.

The Mustangs, once again, were not ready to cede the title. They earned a side-out and three points on serve to tie the match. The final two points in the run came on impressive inside swings from Darian Dildy. The Eagles earned a side-out on a hitting error and Kelsey Bradshaw set the squad up for success with a tough serve. Kelly put down the final ball for the win. She finished twelve kills, three blocks and a pair of aces.

The Eagles came into this afternoon's Championship match knowing they would have to serve aggressively to keep the Mustang's balanced and powerful line-up from getting on track. That strategy worked to perfection in the opening set. The Eagles ripped off three aces on the way to a 14-6 lead. The Mustangs showed their mettle and closed the gap to 19-16. Eastern earned a side-out and sophomore libero Grace Casagrande served the final five points of the set. Lugo combined with Bridgette Kelly for a block and also had a kill, and Casagrande dealt three aces in the final four points to win 25-16.

The Mustangs led 22-18 in the second set. Eastern scored three to pull within one, but the Mustangs got a kill and a block to get to set point. Zeigler, who had just subbed in, got a kill to fight off the first set point, and Kelsey Bradshaw delivered an ace to ignite the crowd and pull within a point. Kelly tied the set at 24 with a kill, but the Mustangs claimed the set with the final two points.

Eastern had six aces in the frame, but also four errors.

Emboldened, the Mustangs hit .290 and were clearly the aggressor team in the third. Stevenson handled the Eastern serves, and got multiple kills from five different hitters on the way to a 25-17 win.

With momentum against them, the Eagles flipped the table in the fourth. Will went to the service line with a 7-3 lead and did not stop serving until the Mustangs had called both timeouts and used a pair of substitutions in serve-receive. The 16-3 edge was too much for the Mustangs to overcome, and the Eagles cruised to a 25-12 win. Eastern hit .500 in the set and was successful on 11-of-14 side-out chances. Logan Martin and Lugo each had four kills in the set and Kelly and Natalie Saxton each cutaway three balls. The Eagles did not have a hitting error in the fourth.

"We knew after the third set we had to get back to attacking the ball,"  Birtwistle said. "They stepped up their passing, their serving and the offense got back on track. This was a full team effort. We did not have a star today. We just got solid play from a lot of people. I am so proud of this team for hanging in there together, and coming back for another conference championship."

Junior setter Ashley Thorsted, who played in the 2019 MAC Freedom Championship game, is the only Eastern player who played today who had ever been in Conference Championship game. Thorsted came on to serve a pair of important points early in the fifth set.

Martin led the Eastern offense with 14 kills. Lugo hit .474 with nine kills and no errors. Zeigler had five kills and just a single error against the big Stevenson block.

Shannon Baily had 10 kills, Piper Connor and Sarah Straub each had nine, and Dildy and MacKenzie Blevins each posted eight to lead the balanced Mustangs attack.  

Casagrande had 23 digs to again lead the Eastern defense. With 59 digs in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament, Casagrande is closing in on 500 digs. Only four players in program history have hit that mark in a single year.

The win secures the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament which will begin on Thursday. The NCAA will announce locations and brackets for the 64-team event on Monday at 12:30.