Columbia, MD -
Kira Thompson (Elkridge, MD/Atholton) spiked down 25 kills in the most entertaining match the Dragons Lair saw all season long, but the Dragons were unable to prevail over the Chesapeake Skipjacks in a five set thriller of a final regular season match.
All five sets were close and hotly contested as the two evenly matched teams traded barbs. Howard took the first set 25-22, winning seven of eight points in the middle of the set.
Chesapeake came back strong in set two with a 7-0 run vaulting them forward including three straight aces by the hard hitting Kelly Cavanagh. Cavanagh against started a big rally for the Skipjacks in set three as the Dragons blew a late lead in the set to fall behind 2-1.
Howard came back with a vengeance in set four as
Jordan Kent (Bowie, MD/Mt. Oak Christian) picked up a kill and a block to put the Dragons ahead 9-2 as they cruised in a comfortable fourth set victory.
Playing in their only five set match of the regular season, Howard jumped out early with a 10-5 lead with
Natalie Hosseini (Ellicott City, MD/Mt. Hebron) picking up a couple of kills along with a couple huge hits from Thompson.
Once again it was Cavanagh's serve that doomed the Dragons as she aced three straight to bring Chesapeake back in the set. With Howard ahead 12-11, the Skipjacks closed out the match with four straight points to seal the victory for the visitors.
Thompson's 25 kills almost doubled her previous season high of 14 against Butler back in late September as she was the go-to hitter for the Dragons throughout the match. Hosseini picked up nine kills, five aces and 21 digs with Kent adding five kills and a block.
Sabrina Lagomarsino (Clarksville, MD/Atholton) assisted on 35 of the team kills while hitting five of her own.
Yi Su Arief (Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) matched the team high of 21 digs in her best game as a Howard libero.
The Dragons will now head to Butler County Community College to compete in the Region 20 Division III tournament, starting against Pennsylvania Highlands on Friday, October 25 at 6 PM in the quarterfinals.
