HARRISONBURG, Va. - The Hood College volleyball team swept Mary Baldwin, 3-0, before falling to Lynchburg in four sets, 3-1, on the final day of the Eastern Mennonite Invitational.

The Blazers opened the day on a strong note, defeating the Flying Squirrels 25-16, 25-16, 25-20. In the day's second match, the Hornets emerged with a 25-18, 24-26, 25-13, 25-14 win. 

Kari Betson had 23 kills over the course of the two matches to lead Hood. Elena Zinaich finished with 20 kills and five blocks. Gabriela Enriquez served seven aces against Mary Baldwin and ended the afternoon with 10. Payton Belella added 54 assists and Kelsey Ritner tallied 19 digs. 

Zinaich was named to the all-tournament team at the conclusion of the invitational.

After picking up the win in the first set against the Flying Squirrels, Hood out-hit Mary Baldwin by .611 in the second set to pull away. The Blazers hit .429, while MBC struggled with seven kills and 11 errors. 

Enriquez notched seven of the Blazers' 11 service aces in the victory. Belella had 27 assists and Zinaich added four blocks. 

Katelyn Rice led Mary Baldwin with eight kills, and Reilly Kelly assisted on 23 of the team's 26 kills. 

Against Lynchburg, Hood dropped the first set, but rallied to win the second. The Blazers trailed 14-11 midway through the set, but fought back as the teams traded leads. With the score tied at 24-24, Zinaich took assists from Belella on consecutive points for the win.

Lynchburg turned up the defense over the next two sets, limiting Hood's attacking to escape with the victory. 

Betson and Zinaich each had 12 of the Blazers' 34 kills in the match. Enriquez served three more aces. Belella assisted on 27 points, while both Ritner and Caroline Kinna finished with nine digs. 

Jennifer Garrett had 15 kills for the Hornets, and Lynn Walsh tallied 20 assists. 

Hood, 2-3 on the year, travels to Arcadia for its Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth opener on September 7.