FREDERICK, Md. – On a night that
Hannah Strohm picked up her 1,000
th career dig, the Neumann University Women's Volleyball team came back from a 2-0 deficit to win a 3-2 decision against Hood College in their first-ever MAC Commonwealth match-up.
Strohm finished with a match-high 13 digs, adding four service aces.
Melissa Eddy led with 11 kills and 10 digs for a double-double.
Julia Solomon also had 11 kills while
Kyndra Dale had 10.
Emma Kovacs had 23 assists with
Amiya Carter getting her own double-double with 19 assists and 10 digs.
Neumann got off to a fast start by putting up the first five points of the match. Hood responded right back with an 8-2 run to take the lead. After two straight kills by
Soleil-La'Jour Staggs, the Blazers scored six of the next seven to lead 14-10. Two more points for the Knights did little to slow their opponent's momentum as Hood rattled off six in a row to lead 20-12. Neumann answered with a 6-2 run, but it wasn't enough to come back as the Blazers took the first set, 25-19.
In the second, it was Hood who forged ahead with a big run of seven points in a row. After Neumann pulled their deficit to 8-3, the Blazers scored four straight, forcing a Knights timeout. Neumann took three of the next four, but Hood went on a 5-2 run to draw another timeout, leading 18-8. The Blazers finished off the set, taking it by a 25-11 margin.
The third set started with both teams trading runs. Neumann started with a 7-4 lead, but Hood followed with a 5-1 run to take the lead at 9-8. The next 10 points were evenly distributed at 5-5, and the Blazers had a 14-13 edge. The Knights would not go down quietly as they scored five of the next six points, taking an 18-15 lead and forcing a Hood timeout. Neumann continued to press forward with five more points in a row, leading to another timeout. The Blazers scored four straight points, but the Knights closed it out, 25-19, to force a fourth set.
Neumann continued the momentum from the previous set, starting the fourth with a 9-3 run, causing an early timeout for Hood. With the Knights leading 14-7, Hood scored four in a row and Neumann called a timeout to regroup. Hood was able to get within one at 20-19 but the Knights scored five of the last six to win the set, 25-20, and send the match to a deciding fifth set.
The Knights started off the match's ultimate set with a 6-4 lead but the Blazers answered with four points in a row to lead 8-6. The speech by coach MacGlaughlin during the ensuing timeout must've fired up her squad because Neumann scored the next five points on two aces by Strohm, two kills by Eddy, and an error, to cause Hood to ask for a break. The next point was an epic rally of over 20 touches won by the Blazers, but Neumann scored four of the next six to win the set, 15-11, and the match.
Neumann (4-5, 1-0 MAC Commonwealth) will be back in action on Saturday as they take a trip to Stockton University in Galloway, N.J. for a tri-match. They'll challenge the hosts at 10:00 AM then battle with Moravian University at 12:00 PM.
