Maine Maritime Academy junior and Ellsworth native Rachel Bunker makes a play at the net during a home volleyball match earlier this season. Courtesy of Tony Llerena Photography
Castine—The Maine Maritime Academy volleyball team will defend its North Atlantic Conference championship title when the school hosts the 2018 championship tournament this weekend.
The Mariners went undefeated in conference play this season, going 5-0 with a 20-6 record overall. The Mariners have gone 23 matches without a loss in regular season conference play.
The team wrapped up its season with wins over the University of Maine at Fort Kent and University of Maine at Presque Isle on October 27. Both games were played at Husson, and the Mariners did not allow either team to win a set, winning both matches by a score of 3-0.
Those two wins capped off a season-ending seven-game win streak for the Mariners.
Maine Maritime Academy will open the tournament with a semifinal matchup against Husson University on November 2 at Margaret Chase Smith Gymnasium on campus. The second semifinal will be between SUNY Canton and UMaine Presque Isle. The winners will face off in the final round on November 3. Game times will be announced.
The team has had success in the last two years, winning the conference tournament in 2016 and 2017, each time going forward to the Division III national tournament.