Columbia, MD - The 2025 season came to an end Tuesday night for the Howard Community College Dragons, as they fell in the first round of the playoffs to the Allegany College of Maryland Trojans.

Howard's Cinderella season came to a close despite all four sets coming down to the wire. The Dragons fell into a 2-0 hole early, rallied to win set three, but were unable to record the reverse sweep. Despite finishing with more kills than their opponent, the Dragons were done in by 38 total errors.

The Dragons jumped out to early leads in both of the first two sets, but Allegany capitalized on HCC errors and pulled ahead in both. Both sets saw the Dragons gain some momentum towards the end, and in the third set, the Dragons were finally able to hold onto the lead to grab a 25-23 win. However, Allegany once again took off in the fourth set, and despite another late comeback attempt, the Dragons would fall 25-22.

The final game of the season would see the Dragons put together some fantastic performances. Zyon Austin (Odenton, MD/Meade) had a career-high 21 kills and 23 digs. Arianna Layne (Bridgetown, Barbados/Combermere School) ended her college career with 12 kills and nine digs, while Toriana Curry (Baltimore, MD/Carver Center) added nine kills and four blocks. On defense, Cheyenne Ellis (Eldersburg, MD/Century) led the way with 39 assists and 21 digs, while Stefamae Barquillia (Samar, The Philippines/Einstein) added 38 digs in her final game for the Dragons.

The Dragons finished the 2025 season with an 11-8 overall record. Layne led the Dragons in kills with 136 on the year. Ellis led the team in assists with 445 and aces with 52, while Abigail Leis (Ellicott City, MD/Mt. Hebron) led the team with 24 blocks. Barquillia was the team's leading defender with 354 digs.

Howard will say farwell to sophomores Arianna Layne (Bridgetown, Barbados/Combermere School), Abigail Leis (Ellicott City, MD/Mt. Hebron), Stefamae Barquillia (Samar, The Philippines/Einstein), and Cheyenne Ellis (Eldersburg, MD/Century) during the offseason, and will look to build on the success of the 2025 campaign!