MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - There's just something about this team. A first set loss? Doesn't matter. A two sets to one deficit? No big deal. Match on the line against the division leader? At their best. The Millersville women's volleyball team has done it all season, so it is fitting that it won its program-record-tying 24th match in a drama-filled, five-set thriller against Shippensburg--a team that has had the Marauders' number in recent years--all while records fell and milestones were reached. With Pucillo Gymnasium buzzing, the Marauders needed 30 points to win the second and fourth sets and played a nearly flawless fifth set to close a memorable 15-25, 30-28, 14-25, 30-28, 15-9 victory.

Not only did the win match the 1997 and 1995 teams' record for victories in a season, it put the Marauders on the inside track to host a first round match in the PSAC Tournament. Shepherd comes to Pucillo Gymnasium Saturday with the same 14-4 record as the Marauders, and a win would give the Marauders the No. 4 seed.

Throughout the course of the match, Jayci Suseland, Katie Laughman and Lindsey Blevins all etched their names in the record books. Suseland broke Abby Hafer's 24-yeard-old single-season kills record with her fifth of the night. Her fourth gave her 1,414 in her career--the most ever by a Marauder. Laughman, who totaled a season-high 54 assists, broke the single-season assist record which had stood since 1992. Blevins, who caught fire late and provided the Marauders needed production in the fourth and fifth sets, became the 10th player in program history with 1,000 kills.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
• After Shippensburg landed the first blow in the opening set, Millersville shook off 19 second-set kills and three blocks from the Raiders and found a way to even the match at 1-1. Millersville trailed 13-9 and appeared on the verge of dropping the first two sets, but senior Haley Butler, who starred with 15 kills to three errors in the match, started the Marauders' comeback with a kill. Five Shippensburg errors in a span of seven serves opened the door for Millersville to take the lead on back-to-back Butler kills. The Marauders then built a 24-22 advantage, but two kills from Gabriella Johnson and a Marauder attack error put Shippensburg in front 25-24. Butler answered for the Marauders to even the score. The teams traded points until Baughman's kill knotted the match at 28. Samantha Miller delivered a service ace, and a Ship miscue tied the match at one set apiece.
• Millersville had no answer for Ship's Samantha Webber and Gianna Sigado in the third. The duo combined for 10 kills while Millersville mustered seven as a team. Yet the 11-point loss didn't linger into the fourth. The Marauders started quickly, racing to an 18-10 lead before Webber, Gabriella Johnson and Kendall Johnson brought Shippensburg back. A 9-2 run pulled Ship within one, and Suseland and Butler traded kills with Johnson to keep the score even at 24-24. The teams combined for 17 kills in the final 18 points. The outlier was Suseland and Chyna Gubbings stuffing a Ship attack at the net for a 29-28 lead. Then, Suseland found the open floor for the 30th point. Shippensburg posted 23 kills and Millersville had 21 in the set.
• The fifth set was all Millersville. Blevins recorded five of the Marauders' nine kills and the team hit .300 without an error. Butler, Baughman and Blevins tallied kills as part of a 4-0 run that built the advantage to 11-4. Blevins added two more as the Marauders reached matched point at 14-6. Shippensburg scored three in a row, but after a Millersville timeout, Blevins' 17th kill of the match clinched it.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Millersville's 63 kills were a season high. Four Marauders reached double-digits in kills. Butler came within two of a season-high with 15 (.333). Blevins recorded 13 of her 17 in the fourth and fifth sets, committing just one error in that span. Suseland totaled a team-high 18 (.304) and Baughman totaled 12 (.400).
• Kat Forry's match-high 36 digs were also a season high. Blevins completed her double-double with 20 digs. Rebecca Dalstad led the team with three aces.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH BRIAN SMITH
• On describing the scene: "For the crowd, the players, the program, we basically hit on all cylinders tonight. We had spots where we didn't play well but the accomplishments, breaking records and not being selfish about it but staying in the match, battling a team that came in 16-1 and is one of the best teams in the region--it's a big win for us."
• On how the team performs well in close matches: "We've been in those situations before so that's helpful. I reminded the team that we had nothing to lose. We have to play to win. We got beat up in that third set and we started to lose track of the match. 'What are we afraid of? We are in our gym. Our fans are here. Here are the things we aren't doing well. Let's fix those.' We made some changes offensively. We told Lindsey to go line. She did and she got her confidence going. All of our hitters were hitting well. Shippensburg was teaming up on the outside, and Lindsey has those two rotations with only one other attacker with her, so she really stepped up."
• On senior Haley Butler stepping up against top teams: "We've had some big matches and she has come up and played hard. Her mental toughness and confidence in big matches really helps her. She's a senior captain. She knows somebody has to lead and get it done."
• On the moment not being too big for freshman Carley Baugman: "She's always around the ball. She wants it; she calls for it. She does a good job of knowing where the defense is. She has some good off-speed shots she can score on and then she can get it quickly and rip it. She was key in that fourth set because she was scoring at high percentage, getting shots to bounce off blocks.

NOTES
• Millersville snapped Shippensburg's three-match winning streak in the series and beat the Raiders for just the fourth time in 22 tries.
• Millersville has won six in a row overall and 23 in a row at home. Millersville improved to 4-2 in five-set matches.

UP NEXT
• Millersville close the regular season Saturday at home against Shepherd. Both teams sport matching 14-4 PSAC records. The winner gets home court advantage in the first round of the PSAC Tournament. Millersville topped the Rams in five sets on Oct. 25.