BALTIMORE — Stevenson University has set the standard in women's beach volleyball among Division III schools.
Those girls on the roster are etched in the history books as the first program to win the Division III National Championship in that sport.
The Mustangs have been a varsity Division III program since 2016. Only a few years later, they took the nation by storm.
During the weekend of April 16, the beach volleyball team stormed onto Hickory Point Beach in Tavares, Florida, and won the four matches needed to claim the championship.
Senior Emily Pellini and junior Shannon Baily showcased their talents, being named AVCA All-Americans.
The Mustangs handled business in the championship match against Hendrix, winning 4-0.
At No. 1, Pellini and Baily won their match, 21-16, 21-9; No. 2, Piper Connors and Taylor Jones won both sets; Rileigh Kimball and Maddie Clouser, along with Kayla Vaeth and Hannah Naja clinched victory.
"It still doesn’t feel real but it hit me when we were in the bus to the airport," junior Taylor Jones said. "I was sitting right next to the trophy. I had it buckled in. I had it strapped in so it wouldn’t fall. That’s when it hit me, like, ‘wow, we are national champions.”
Now, those Mustangs are the talk of the school, a team from Baltimore claiming rights to a championship.
"It means a lot. Most people know, we were the first D-III beach volleyball team, so it’s incredible to be the first team out there and the first team to win the national championship," junior Shannon Baily said. "The school is ecstatic. It’s very exciting to be one of the top D-III schools."
Stevenson played its season against Division I and Division II schools, and Division III programs, while compiling a 19-9 record.
But of course, the triumph at the end of the season will be celebrated by this team for years.
"It’s amazing. I never, ever dreamed of this happening," junior Abby Bruce said. "It’s something I can tell my kids someday, but at the same time, we deserve this. We worked hard for this. It feels good to know we earned this and this is our title."
With the season on the line, moments away from their historic championship, the players knew all they had to do was finish the job.
"Everything we worked hard for was for this moment, so it was rewarding," Bruce said. "It took a lot of hard work, and a lot of blood, sweat and tears."
The Mustangs celebrated their national championship with hugs, tears, and plenty of cheers.
They brought a trophy back to Charm City.
"We were all screaming and yelling," Baily said. "We had to then rush right to the plane, so we didn’t get to celebrate as much as we would have liked, but we got home and took it all in."
"It means a lot. It’s a stepping stone," Jones added. "We worked hard to get here and now we have to keep defending our title. I think it’s big because teams coming up have something to look forward to. We did it once. We can definitely do it again."
"We went into it with the most positive attitude we could. It was absolutely amazing," Bruce said. "Once they told us the game was over and that we won, we all just gave each other a big hug and it got a little emotional."
Several of the Mustangs told WMAR-2 News they are already looking forward to defending their crown next year.
They will now be the hunted, with a bulls-eye on their backs.
Players say they are ready for that challenge.
"That is definitely something I have thought about. It kind of makes you want to work harder," Bruce said. "We know next year is not going to be easy. There will be other people coming for us, I’m sure, but we have to want to win more."
