Columbia, MD - In perhaps the largest attendance for a volleyball match in Howard CC history that created a frenzied atmosphere, the Howard Dragons won a riveting five set match over the Allegany Trojans in the first home volleyball match at Howard in nearly three years.

The raucous crowd set the mood early for a fascinating contest, as the two teams blasted shots at each other from the opening serve. Howard went on a 6-0 run midway through the first set as Jessica Hendricks (Woodbine, MD/Covenant Life) and Morgan Conner (Sandy Spring, MD/Sherwood) each knocked down two hits and was capped off by a Mikaela Brewer (Gaithersburg, MD/Covenant Life) ace. Allegany made a run back to take the lead at 19-18, but a clutch kill by Cameron Harmon (Largo, MD/Flowers) followed by a slam by Brenna Siperko (Ellicott City, MD/Mt.Hebron) closed out the set in favor of the home team.

The second set saw Allegany dominate at times, opening up a 24-16 lead. Howard was able to win five straight points as Siperko blocked a hit then put down three in a row, but the Trojans held on to take the second set 25-21. Allegany carried that momentum to take a big lead early in the third set and prevailing 25-20 to take the 2-1 lead in sets.

Howard tipped the see-saw battle back in their favor, starting the fourth set with eight straight points with Conner adding a couple of kills during the run. The Dragons closed the set on a 10-2 run, dominating the fourth set 25-7 with an emphatic Conner smash to tie the match at 2-2.

In the deciding fifth set, Howard jumped ahead 2-1 with a Conner hit followed by a Brewer desperation shot that pin pointed the corner of the court. The two teams exchanged points back and forth until Howard won three straight thanks to Hendricks and Conner hammering home to put the Dragons ahead 11-8. Hendricks slammed down one more, followed by Allegany putting a hit into the net to seal the victory much to the delight of the fanatic crowd.

Conner led the way with 19 kills, followed by Hendricks ith 10, Siperko with six, and Micaela Murray (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mill) adding five. Brewer finished with 34 assists and three aces while Eryca Sterling (Columbia,MD/Wilde Lake) dug up 20 hits followed by Ashlee Forde (Barbados/Foundation) with 10.

The Dragons will look to keep the momentum going when they host Penn Highlands on Friday, September 9 at 6 PM.