Pinehurst, NC - The Dragons faced two of the toughest NJCAA Division III teams in the nation in a loaded district tournament and ultimately lost both matches to end their remarkable turnaround season.

The Dragons were first pitted against the #3 team in the nation as Columbus State entered the match with a 23-8 record. Howard struggled to get into a rhythm with points hard to come by Sabrina Lagomarsino (Clarksville, MD/Atholton) had a season low six assists with three of them going to Kira Thompson (Elkridge, MD/Atholton) as Emily Aubertin (Mount Airy, MD/Linganore) and Natalie Hosseini (Ellicott City, MD/Mt. Hebron) shared the rest. Aubertin led the team with nine digs and Jordan Kent (Bowie, MD/Mt. Oak Christian) managed to get a block, but Howard fell to  the heavily favored Columbus State.

Playing in back-to-back matches, Howard next faced Region 10 winner and tournament host Sandhills Community College. The Dragons once again struggled to get any momentum as Sandhills punished the Dragons with effective serving and attacks throughout the match. Aubertin and Kent had two kills each with Aubertin and Hosseini also adding a block each. Yi Su Arief (Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) led the defensive effort with nine digs while Lagomarsino once again managed just six assists.

With a team entirely comprised of freshman, first year head coach Jake Achten is set up well with a strong returning cast to work with while he looks to build upon an unexpected amount of success from his debut season.