FREDERICK, Md. – The Hood College women's volleyball hosted their first tri-match of the season on Saturday and fell in both contest 3-0 against Norte Dame of Maryland University, and Shenandoah University.
Set Scores
Norte Dame of Maryland won 25-14, 25-21, 25-18.
Shenandoah won 27-25, 25-19, 25-19.
Inside the Box Score
Mary LeBlanc (Suffolk, Va/Stonebridge) led the charge in kills over two matches with 10.
Maria Ricketts (Adamstown, Md./New Life Christian) had 25 assists in both games and 14 digs.
Janiyah Thornton (Waldorf, Md./Southern Maryland Christian Academy) tallied four blocks on the day.
How it Happened – Norte Dame of Maryland University
The Blazers found themselves in an early 6-1 hole to start set one against the Gators.
Maria Ricketts (Adamstown, Md./New Life Christian) would set up teammate
Mary LeBlanc (Suffolk, Va/Stonebridge) to chip away at the lead. Norte Dame of Maryland responded quickly with two points of their own, but Hood found some energy after a service ace from
Anna Huber (Bel Air, Md./Greater Grace Christian Academy). The Blazers found some momentum and were able to cut the lead to 10-9, still in favor of the Gators. LeBlanc continued the attack, and earned yet another kill, but the Gators went on a 7-0 run and now held a commanding 21-11 lead over the Blazers. Hood used a timeout and it seemed to help as the Blazers answered back with a kill from
Emerson O'Connor (Woodbridge, Va./Forest Park), and then
Janiyah Thornton (Waldorf, Md./Southern Maryland Christian Academy) stuffed the Gators attack with a block. Unfortunately, any rally and attempt at a comeback was stopped as Norte Dame of Maryland closed the door in set one with a 25-14 win.
Set two featured shades of the first set, as the Gators would swamp the Blazers and get out to an early 7-3 lead. The Gators made an attack error, and Hood followed that up with a kill by
Grace Tamburin (Wheeling, WV./Wheeling Park), and then a service ace by
Anna Huber (Bel Air, Md./Greater Grace Christian Academy). The Blazers still trailed by one, but the score was now 7-6. Hood was able to tie the score at 11 a piece after a
Kendall Massey (Upper Marlboro, Md./Largo) service ace as the tide seemed to be turning in favor of the Blazers. Both teams went back forth, and Hood fought to the bitter end, but the Gators pulled away late in set two 25-21.
Hood started fast and jumped to a 4-1 lead after a Tamburin kill. The Gators battled back to make it 4-4 and were able to earn the slight advantage over the Blazers to make the score 5-4. Hood leaned on the first-year Tamburin as the Blazers would retake the lead. A run by Norte Dame of Maryland extended their lead 11 to 6. Hood went on a run of its own to cut the score to 15-12. Norte Dame of Mayland stayed consistent in their offensive pursuit and was able to sweep the Blazers 25-18.
How it Happened – Shenandoah University
Hood started out fast and got out to a 10-2 lead over Shenandoah. Jaylin Anderson (Poolesville, Md./Poolesville) found
Sami Betley (Bel Air, Md./Mercy) to get the Blazers lead to 10 as the score now sat at 16-6. The Hornets, unfazed by the deficit, cut the lead to 18-15, still in favor of the Blazers. A late run by the Hornets had them leading 24-21 and seemed to be pulling away. Hood battled back into it as the score was tied 24-24, but the Hornets finished it off and took set one, 27-25.
The teams battled back and forth earlier into set two, and the Hornets held a 7-6 advantage, but after a bad set by a Shenandoah player, the score was knotted at 7-7. Hood jumped out to a 12-8 lead after a kill by
Jaylin Anderson (Poolesville, Md./Poolesville), but every time Hood tried to pull away, Shenandoah fought its way back into it. As the Hornets rallied, they would go on a run and now led 18-15 over the Blazers. Back-to-back kills by LeBlanc and
Tara Gosney (Centreville, Pa./Centreville) had the momentum in Hood's favor, but the Hornets held on to win 25-18 as set two slipped away from the Blazers.
Entering set three, Hood was seeking to reverse sweep Shenandoah. An early kill by O'Connor and a service ace from Isabelle Garrett (Fluvanna, Va./Fluvanna), was all the juice the Blazers needed to believe they could do it. The Hornets were determined, and despite the 10-9 led midway through the set, the Hornets found their groove and now led 17-9. Hood was down 21-13 but cut the lead to 23-17. With the Blazers down by six, Shenandoah was able to finish Hood off 25-19 and win the match 3-0.
Notes
Hood falls to 0-4 on the season, still seeking their first win.
Up Next
The squad will be back in action on Wednesday night September 9, at 7 PM, as they continue their homestead against the Bison of Gallaudet University.
