Butler, PA - The Howard Dragons got revenge on Westmoreland in the regional tournament semifinals, but fell to the #1 nationally ranked Butler Pioneers 3-0.

In the first match of the day, the Dragons were finally able to take on the Westmoreland Wolfpack with a full squad and did not squander their chance. Morgan Conner (Sandy Spring, MD/Sherwood) led the way with 12 kills and 13 digs while Brenna Siperko (Ellicott City, MD/Mt. Hebron) added nine kills and a couple of blocks. The Howard frontline was dominating across the board with Jessica Hendricks (Woodbine, MD/Covenant Life) adding eight kills and Sydnei Harmon (Largo, MD/Flowers) had five blocks and two kills. The backline also performed their job admirably with Eryca Sterling (Columbia,MD/Wilde Lake) picking up 17 digs and Taylor Hall (Annapolis, MD/Howard) adding 13. The 25-15, 25-16, 25-16 scoreline in the match allowed the Dragons to avenge a regular season four-set loss to Westmoreland where they were missing Conner.

The regional tournament finals saw Howard go up against the NJCAA Division III nationally ranked #1 Butler County who came into the match with an 18-2 record. The Pioneers, who haven't even lost a set in the last 10 matches, were given all they could handle in the first set as the Dragons had them tied up at 20-20 before a late run pushed the Pioneers to a 25-21 set win. Butler took control in the second set 25-11, but saw a late run by Howard in the third set fall just short in another 25-21 score.

Conner had 11 kills and nine digs in the match while Siperko and Hendricks each had four. Mikaela Brewer (Gaithersburg, MD/Covenant Life), in her last matches as a Dragon, had 48 assists in the two matches combined while Sterling finished her sterling career with a 22 dig performance.

The Dragons finish the season with an overall 9-10 record as the program continues to trend in an upward trajectory under the leadership of head coach Jake Achten.