UMES Hawks win hard fought battle over Howard

HAWKS WIN! HAWKS WIN! HAWKS WIN! @ESHawksVBall wins a nail biting five setter over @HUBisonVB to improve to 6-2 in the MEAC!! #OurShoreOurTeam pic.twitter.com/yPUJCjfdO7

— Hawk Volleyball 🏐 (@ESHawksVBall) November 4, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. --  Facing a team two wins away from an unblemished conference record, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team overcame the odds to defeat Howard in a nail biting five setter (21-25, 28-26, 21-25, 25-23, 15-12) at Burr Gymnasium in Washington Sunday (Nov. 4).

"The team has come a long way since we last met Howard [on October 7th]." Head Coach Trevor Callarman said. "I attribute this win largely to our team's willingness to get in the gym and train every day. We stayed the aggressor at all times during the match with serves and offense which paid in dividends in the long run. This is a great win but we have plenty of work this week before we play Coppin on Friday."

Maryland Eastern Shore (9-14, 6-2 MEAC) managed the win despite losing the kill battle 67-59. The key was efficiency as the Hawks hit .269 to .216 by the Bison. 

Leading the offensive charge was senior Rachel Kayongo (Northridge, California), who reached a career high 23 kills while hitting .435 for the match. The 23 kills are the second most for a Hawk since 2013, and the highest total for a five set match.

"I was aggressive with everything and I used my peripherals to see the block and make swings around it." Kayongo said. "My teammates communicated very well which helped me earn points. When I served, I thought one serving side was cursed. So I had to be more aware of every step I took because it didn't come easy tonight. Once I figured that out, it all worked well."

BOX SCORE

Kayongo also added eight digs and finished with a team high three aces. Against MEAC opponents she upped her performance to 2.76 kills per set and a .268 hitting percentage thanks to her performance this afternoon.

"Rachel was a huge weapon for us when we needed a sideout." Callarman said. "She was swinging hard the entire match and had a great game."

Senior Lucia Babic (Sisak, Croatia) recorded a double-double of 18 kills and 12 digs. Junior Ivana Blazevic (Zagreb, Croatia) added a double-double of her own with 36 assists and 14 digs.

A third double-double for the Hawks was earned by senior Koya Sowells (Missouri City, Texas) - the first of her career. Sowells finished with a personal best 27 digs and 12 assists. The 27 digs are the seventh most for a Hawk since 2013 and increases her digs per set output to 4.07 against the MEAC.

"Everyone played with 'Nothing hits the floor' mentality.' Sowells said. "We were consistently positive and in the midst of all the madness we had the feeling the game was ours, and we took it. I did a good job reading and when I read, I made the play. Ivana and Lucia were also big on defense and like we practiced, that allowed me to get the ball to my hitters who consistently put it away. In the great words of Mauri Carver, 'We're not done yet!"

Extra defensive help came from the block, where the Hawks registered eight to Howard's one. Junior Lidia Chery (Garfield, New Jersey) finished with five blocks and freshman Mauri Carver (Elizabeth City, North Carolina) was right behind her with four. Both players completed two solo blocks.

"Our defense showed up big." Callarman said. "We had plenty of good blocks from our middles that may not have forced points directly but forced Howard into hitting errors. Led by Koya, they kept the ball off the ground and extended rallies."

Howard (16-10, 8-1 MEAC) narrowly edged the Hawks in digs 71-68 and assists 57-51. Three Bison players reached double figures in kills, with three more in digs. Setter Tamia Dockery completed a double-double of 54 assists and 14 digs.

Key moments in the match include the Hawks rallying from 24-21 down in set two to force extra time. The Shore won seven of the last nine volleys to level the match. They would rally again at the midway point of set four, and then fended off a Bison challenge to force a fifth set.

In set five, a Kayongo kill gave the Hawks the upper hand for good at the 7-6 mark. Blazevic ended the match with a kill on their first match point opportunity.

One more victory will secure the No. 2 seed out of the Northern Division for this year's MEAC Championship. Maryland Eastern Shore will close out the regular season with home matches against Coppin State (Nov. 9) and Morgan State (Nov. 11). Friday's match with the Eagles with begin at 6 p.m. inside the William P. Hytche.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS