Hamburg, N.Y.  - The Mount Aloysius women's volleyball team made history on Saturday afternoon, rallying past Hilbert in a thrilling five-set battle (22-25, 24-26, 25-21, 25-21, 15-9) to capture the program's first-ever AMCC regular season championship. The victory also marked a new single-season wins record as the Mounties improved to 19-6 overall and a perfect 7-0 in conference play.

After dropping the opening two sets, the Mounties did not go down without a fight, clawing back to take the next three behind a balanced offensive attack and stifling defense.

Senior Molly Richards (Naples, Fla., Naples) powered the Mounties offense with 22 kills and 34 digs, while junior Mackenzie Barr (Pittsburgh, Pa., Shaler) added 19 kills. Junior Poliana Lazarini (Marialva, Brazil / Garrido) chipped in 12 kills and 27 digs, continuing to show her ability on both sides of the ball. 

Junior setter Reghyn Wilson (Harrisburg, Pa., Bishop McDevitt) steered the attack with a career-high 35 assists, while freshman Kiersten Cummings (Las Vegas, Nev, Nevada State) added 19 assists and two aces. At the net, senior Kaylee Smith (Altoona, Pa., Altoona) tallied a team-best four blocks, helping the Mounties hold Hilbert to just a .116 hitting percentage across the match.

The Mounties hit their stride in the decisive fifth set, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back, hitting an impressive .320 to close out the match.

With the historic win, the Mounties not only clinch the AMCC regular season crown for the first time in program history, but also set a new single-season record for victories; which goes to show the consistency and growth of the team throughout the year.

Since PS Altoona defeated PS Behrend today, the Mounties have officially locked up the #1 seed going into the AMCC Tournament and will have a first-round bye.

They'll wrap up regular season play a week from now as they'll host the current second-place PS Behrend Lions (18-7, 5-2 AMCC). The game is scheduled for 2:00 PM.