Box Score BALTIMORE, Md. – The Notre Dame of Maryland University volleyball picked up their final regular season victory this afternoon against Colonial States Athletic Conference opponent Gwynedd Mercy.  Prior to the 3-0 victory the Gators celebrated seniors Cleaya Antes, Margaret Pedersen, Cassidy Keller, and Stephanie Roche.

Keller paced the Gators with 16 kills with a .520 hitting percentage, her highest this season.  Junior Bobbi McDowell and freshman Mary Marquez also posted team highs in kill, recording eight and seven respectively.  Junior Jamie Reyes notched 36 assists, her fourth match this season with 30 or more assists.  Reyes also recorded 11 digs and a match high, three aces.  On the defensive end, Antes led the Gators with 20 digs while Roche and Pedersen added five apiece.

With today's victory, Notre Dame moves to 16-8 overall and 7-4, good for fifth seed in the CSAC Playoffs.  The Gators will travel to #4 Marywood University for the Quarterfinals on Tuesday.  Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
 
Notre Dame Volleyball Seniors
Stephanie Roche has played in 99 sets and 41 matches for Notre Dame.  She is currently second in assists for the season with 51 and before today's game has a total of 125 assists for her career.  Steph is one of five players with over 30 aces this season, more than doubling her total from last season and played a major role in Notre Dame's comeback victory over CSAC opponent Immaculata, serving six straight points in game three, two of which were services aces.  She is also currently ranked second in services aces per set in the CSAC.   Steph is also a stand out member of the basketball team, holding school records in four categories.  Steph will be graduating early, completing her degree in Mathematics with a Physics minor and will pursue a career in teaching.


 
Cassidy Keller has played in 121 sets and 42 matches for Notre Dame.  Cassidy came to Notre Dame after being recruited through her first two seasons at Essex Community College.  After joining the team, Cassidy overcame injury early and is now second in kills for the Gators this season with 148 and 261 for her career.  In her past two seasons, Cassidy has finished second for the Gators with kills per set, currently averaging over two a set.  Cassidy is a student worker for the Athletics Department, helping run operations for all Notre Dame sports.  A two-time Dean's List honoree, Cassidy will graduate with a Liberal Arts Degree and looks to pursue a career in teaching and continuing her education in Notre Dame's graduate program. 


 
Margaret Pedersen has played in 136 sets and 70 matches in her career.  Prior to this season, she has played on three playoff teams.  A captain this season, Margaret has recorded seven aces and has 41 total for her career.  A 5'2" defensive specialist by trade with 99 digs, Margaret has indeed seen time in the front row; jumping in for an injured player and even putting up a block without hesitation.   Margaret is a student-athlete whose contributions are not measured by her statistics, but by her dedications to her sports.  As her swim coach Curt Jordan noted, "She finds the good in everything."  A three-sport student-athlete, Margaret is also a member of the softball and swim teams and is a founding member and President of the Notre Dame Swim Club.  Last season, Margaret won the Mary Laverty Funke Award for Spirit, Dedication, and Scholarship.  Majoring in Mathematics, Margaret will pursue a career in education.


 
Cleaya Antes has played in 316 sets and 97 matches in her career.  Cleaya has recorded 1651 digs before today's game, putting her in third place on Notre Dame's career dig list.  Her 53 aces this season is good for first in the CSAC and sixth in the NCAA while her 232 career aces puts her in fifth for Notre Dame's career aces list.  Cleaya also holds several match records, including adding another single match record for digs against Immaculata this season and now holds three of the top four records.   In her freshman season, Cleaya was named the CSAC Rookie of the Year while also being named to the All-Conference Honorable Mention team.  She has been named to the CSAC Sportsmanship, Second, and First All-conference teams while seeing several weekly recognitions, most recently being named Defensive Player of the Week last week.   In her first two season, she was awarded the Sister Patricia McLaughlin Award for Outstanding Underclassman.  Cleaya is a nursing major and looks to continue her rotations here in Maryland.