NORTH EAST, MD – The Howard Community College women's volleyball season came to a close Saturday afternoon following a hard-fought, five-set loss to Frederick Community College in the NJCAA Region 20 Division II Regional Tournament quarterfinals. The Dragons had several match point attempts as they nearly pulled off an upset of the Cougars.
The Dragons battled throughout the match but ultimately fell 3-2, with Frederick claiming the deciding fifth set, 21-19. The loss marked the third time this season Howard had fallen to Frederick, following two regular-season defeats.
Howard came out strong, taking the opening set in a tightly contested battle, 27-25. Frederick responded with a 25-19 victory in the second set before the Dragons regained momentum with a 25-17 win in the third to take a 2-1 match advantage.
Facing elimination, Frederick answered with a 25-21 victory in the fourth set to force a decisive fifth set.
The final set delivered an epic back-and-forth battle, with both teams exchanging points in a display of hustle, determination and defensive effort. Neither side was willing to give an inch as the teams pushed well beyond the traditional 15-point threshold. With the match hanging in the balance, Frederick finally secured the victory with back-to-back service aces to close out the set, 21-19, and advance to the regional semifinals.
Zyon Austin led the Dragons offensively with 17 kills, adding 21 digs and two service aces for 20 points. Amelia Thomas contributed eight kills and four total blocks, while Emma Nguyen recorded four kills and 20 digs.
Abigail Nirola paced the Howard offense with 31 assists and added five service aces and nine digs. Kira King led the defensive effort with 30 digs while contributing four service aces. Diana Feria added 13 digs, and Toriana Curry finished with six total blocks, including three solo blocks. As a team, Howard finished with 38 kills, 100 digs, 11 service aces and 12 total blocks.
The Dragons finish the 2026 season with a 15-6 overall record after a competitive campaign that culminated in a trip to the NJCAA Region 20 Division II Regional Tournament as the five seed.
