BALTIMORE, MD - The Notre Dame of Maryland volleyball team continued its strong start to the season with a commanding 3–0 sweep over Penn State Brandywine on Saturday afternoon at the Marion Burt Knott Sports Complex. The Gators won by set scores of 25–12, 25–18, 25–15, pushing their record to 7–2 on the year.

The NDMU Gators came out scorching, launching a 4–0 run behind freshman Alyson Lackovic's pinpoint sets and a service ace that set the tone early. The Gators' offense was crisp, with junior Kaliyah Brown, and senior Rosemary O'Brien hammering kills while PSB struggled to find rhythm.

NDMU's lead ballooned to 14–5 as sophomore middle Gwen Abnett and junior outside hitter Myla Palmer shut down attacks at the net and junior setter Shelbey Willson added a service ace. Brown took over late, racking up five kills in the final stretch, and Myla Palmer sealed the set with a kill.

With Notre Dame Maryland up 3–1, freshman defensive specialist Carissa Tanseco stepped to the service line and never looked back. Her entry sparked a stunning 9–0 run, pushing the Gators to a commanding 12–1 lead before Penn State Brandywine could regroup.

Tanseco's serves were sharp and aggressive, forcing multiple errors by PSU Brandywine keeping them out of system and setting up kills for Brown and Palmer. NDMU rode that momentum to a 25–12 finish, with Tanseco's early stretch breaking the set wide open.

NDMU wasted no time in the third set, jumping out to a 12–5 lead behind aggressive serving and sharp execution. The early burst left Penn State Brandywine scrambling, and the Gators never let up.
As the set neared its close, junior Emily Gordon stepped up with two clutch kills, one off a clean Lackovic set and the other finishing a long rally with precision. Her late strikes punctuated a dominant 25–15 win, clinching the match in straight sets.

NDMU's sweep over Penn State Brandywine was powered by a balanced and efficient team effort, with several standout performances. Junior Kaliyah Brown led the way offensively, tallying 12 kills on 30 swings with a strong .300 hitting percentage and added 6 digs. Freshman Alyson Lackovic was the engine behind the attack, dishing out 20 assists and adding 3 service aces, while also contributing 9 digs. Freshman Carissa Tanseco made a major impact from the service line, delivering 6 aces and helping fuel a decisive second-set run. Junior Myla Palmer and Rosemary O'Brien added 7 and 6 kills respectively, while Emily Gordon chipped in 5 kills, including two clutch finishes in the final set. Sophomore libero Izzy Stewart with 19 Digs, 2 Assist and 2 Aces. With contributions across the board, NDM's depth and execution were the difference.

The Gators wlll next travel to Penn State York on Wednesday, September 24 at 7 PM. Notre Dame has won the last two meetings between the teams and four of the last five.