FREDERICK, Md. - The Hood College women's volleyball won the first two sets against visiting Albright but needed to erase an 8-3 deficit in the fifth set to claim the 3-2 win in Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth action.
Set Scores
- Hood won 25-19, 25-18, 21-25, 21-25, 15-12.
Inside the Box Score
- Caitlin Ambruster (Fleetwood, PA/Brandywine Heights) and Ann Ofoegbu (Falling Waters, WV/Spring Mills) combined for 39 kills, including a match-high 20 for Ambruster. The junior turned in a monster evening with three aces, eight blocks and 13 digs. Ambruster's 27 points in the match are tied for fourth all-time at Hood.
- Shane Simms (Baltimore, MD/Sparrows Point) matched Ambruster with eight blocks. It was a career high for both players.
- Jackie Malitzki (Allentown, PA/Parkland) dished out 42 assists, adding 16 digs and three aces.
- Ashley Donald (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) recorded 13 digs and a team-high four aces.
Fifth Set: Hood 15, Albright 12
- Two Sophie Hampton kills followed by a pair of blocks by Cynthia Schneider capped a 6-0 run that put Albright ahead 8-3 in the final set.
- Ambruster led the charge back with three kills during an 8-1 surge that put the Blazers in front 11-9 after a solo block by Simms.
- After the Lions tied the set at 11-11, back-to-back kills by Ofoegbu gave Hood the lead. The Blazers led 14-12 when a serve by Shelby Cheuvront was returned by Staci Kutzler (Westminster, MD/Winters Mill) for the decisive point.
First Set: Hood 25, Albright 19
- Albright jumped ahead 8-4 before Hood stormed back to take a 12-10 lead during an 8-2 run that featured two blocks, two aces and a kill from Ambruster.
- The Blazers trailed 17-16 later in the set, using a 9-2 run to take the 1-0 lead. Ambruster had three kills and an ace in the run, with Donald serving up a pair of aces.
Second Set: Hood 25, Albright 18
- Hood held a 17-15 advantage and pulled away with a 7-1 spurt to take a 2-0 lead.
Third set: Albright 25, Hood 21
- After the Blazers held Albright to .000 hitting in the first two sets, the Lions found their stride.
- Albright led 22-21 before scoring the final three points, including two kills by Rachel Etim as the Lions hit over .300 in the set.
Fourth Set: Albright 25, Hood 21
- Hood tied the set at 18-18 before three straight points gave Albright a late lead as the Lions tried to force the fifth set.
- Hood rallied and pulled within 22-21 after consecutive kills by Ofoegbu but Etim had two more late kills during a three-point rally to give Albright the set.
Analysis
- Hood hit .151 in the match, compared to .108 for Albright.
- The Blazers served up 17 aces in the match, while the Lions answered with only nine.
- Hood held a 12-8 edge in blocks but Albright had an advantage in digs 94-69.
For the Opponent
- Hampton led the Lions with 18 kills, while Etim added 14.
- Paola Mejias finished with 37 assists and Shelby Cheuvront tallied 30 digs.
Notes
- Hood picked up its fifth win of the season, surpassing its total from the 2021 season. The Blazers also recorded their first conference win since defeating Alvernia in 2018.
- Albright, 10-6 on the season, fell to 0-4 in the MAC Commonwealth.
Up Next
Hood hosts Gallaudet on Friday, October 7 at 4 p.m.
