CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – The Hood College men's volleyball team could not come away with a victory in a tri-match featuring Hilbert College and Wilson College, as the Blazers fell 3-1 to the Hawks and 3-0 to the Phoenix.
Set Scores
Hilbert defeated Hood 23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-16.
The Blazers fell to the Phoenix 25-21, 26-24, 25-20.
Inside the Box Score
Charles Casas (Rehoboth Beach, Del./Cape Henlopen High School) led with 21 kills and 17 digs on the afternoon.
Gael Bravo (Lanham, Md./Bowie High School) totaled 41 assists across both matches.
How it Happened – Hilbert
Hood started off on the right foot in its first match against Hilbert, jumping out to a 6-2 lead thanks to timely aces from Casas and Catts, but the Hawks stayed with it to keep it a one-point set midway through at 16-15. Hilbert managed to tie things up late at 23, but the Blazers stayed calm and picked up the next two points to take the set and a 1-0 match lead.
Set two began the exact opposite way of the first, with the Hawks taking eight of the first 11 points, eventually taking an 18-8 lead as things continued. Hood tried to spark a comeback with a 5-1 run to make it a 19-13 deficit, even getting it to a four-point margin a few rallies later, but Hilbert stopped any more progress to tie the match at 1.
The Hawks got things going again to start the third set as they took their own 6-2 lead, but the Blazers started their own comeback to make it just a 10-9 disadvantage shortly after. A six-point run by Hilbert put Hood in a hole it would not be able to get out of though, as the Hawks shut down the Blazers' late attempt to force overtime for a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set was evenly matched in the beginning, as Hilbert could not pull away from Hood despite a 7-3 start, as a 5-1 run from the Blazers tied things at eight. A four-point run for the Hawks ended up being Hood's downfall unfortunately, as the Blazers were unable to match the multi-point runs Hilbert put up the rest of the way, with the Hawks finishing the set 25-16 and winning the match 3-1.
How it Happened – Wilson
The Blazers faced the Phoenix of Wilson College for the second time this season, winning the previous match in a five-set thriller. The rematch did not start well for Hood though, with Wilson taking an 8-4 lead as Casas picked up the Blazers' only kill.
Even though Hood managed to get within one just a few rallies later, the Phoenix turned up the pressure with a 6-1 run. After the Blazers almost matched it with their own 5-1 run, four straight points to Wilson immediately following would spell doom for
Hood as the host team put them in a 1-0 match hole.
The Blazers came out much better in the second set with a 5-3 advantage but could not extend it much more as the Phoenix tied things up and both teams began exchanging points. Three straight points for Wilson gave it a 16-14 advantage, eventually doing enough to hold a 23-20 lead late in the set. Hood stormed back to put itself on the verge of tying the match with four straight points as
Sean Seely (Bethpage, N.Y./Bethpage High School) and
Jayceon White (Milton, Del./Cape Henlopen) each got kills, but untimely miscues allowed the Phoenix to take the next three points and put the Blazers on the verge of being swept.
Hood found itself in another hole in set three when Wilson took six of the first nine points, but always stayed within striking distance, eventually tying it at 16 halfway through the set. The Blazers had a 3-1 run to take their first lead since the start of the set at 19-17, but the Phoenix bounced back in the worst way, scoring eight of the next nine points to shock Hood and complete the sweep.
Up Next
The Blazers travel to Aston, Pennsylvania for a match against Neumann University Thursday, February 13 at 7 p.m.
