FREDERICK, Md. - The Hood College volleyball team will play the final two regular season matches of the year in a tri-match at Rosemont with City College of New York.
SCOUTING THE BLAZERS
Hood heads into the weekend at 18-13 overall and holds the fifth seed in the upcoming Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Tournament.
The Blazers are led by freshmen Payton Belella (Smithsburg, Md. / Smithsburg) and Elena Young (Hagerstown, Md. / South Hagerstown). Belella has 989 assists and is closing in on becoming the first Blazer with 1,000 in a season. Young, meanwhile, is the first Hood player since 2001 with 350 kills in a year. She also leads the team with 62 blocks and 40 service aces. Brenna Elizondo (Littleton, Colo. / Heritage) paces the team in digs with 310. While Young's 350 kills are the second-most in school history, teammate Kari Betson (Frederick, Md. / Frederick) is right behind her on the all-time list with 285 so far this year.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hood College volleyball team needed a win to qualify for the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Tournament and got it with a 3-1 victory at Alvernia.
Set scores were 26-24, 25-15, 20-25 and 25-19.
With the win, Hood qualifies for the MAC Commonwealth playoffs for the first time since joining the conference in 2012. The Blazers last played in a conference tournament in 2006, when they hosted the Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference Tournament. Hood will be the fifth seed and will travel to face fourth-seeded Widener in the MAC Commonwealth First Round on November 2.
Young had 17 kills and six blocks, becoming just the second player in school history with 350 kills in season, and the first since Jenni Ferris in 2001 (453). Belella dished out 43 assists and had nine digs. She passed teammate Kathryn Jones (Newfane, N.Y. / Newfane) for third all-time at Hood with 989 assists. Jones had 11 kills, two aces, eight digs and two blocks. Gabriela Enriquez (Frederick, Md. / Gov. Thomas Johnson) checked in with 10 kills and three blocks. Elizondo had 23 digs, while Caroline Kinna (Frederick, Md. / Walkersville) added 17. Bethany Montague (Baltimore, Md. / Redeemer Classical Christian) tallied three blocks.
SCOUTING ROSEMONT
The Ravens are just 2-21 this year, but enter the weekend coming off a 3-0 win over Cairn. Morgan Rollins has 171 kills to lead the team. Sabrina Heggan leads Rosemont with 385 assists and her 45 aces are just one less than Leilani Carter. Nadirah Anderson paces the Ravens with 159 digs and 29 blocks.
SCOUTING CCNY
After a loss to John Jay, CCNY is just 6-27 on the year. Angela Ubanwa's 210 kills are a team-high for the Beavers, as are her 20 blocks. Magd Zamzam had 230 assists, while splitting time with Cassidy Iannariello, who has 211. Irishvarsh Iyyadurai is the top service threat with 48 aces. Veralucia Quispe enters the weekend with a team-leading 385 digs.
LAST MEETING
The Blazers hit a season-high .209 to make short work of Rosemont last October. Betson turned in a another solid performance with nine kills and eight digs. Roop had a solid all-around effort with six kills, five aces, eight digs and two blocks. Rogers recorded three blocks. Jones led the team with 14 assists, while Elizondo chipped in with 10.
This will be the first time the Blazers have faced CCNY.
NEXT UP
Hood travels to Widener for the first round of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament on Monday, November 2 at 7 p.m.
