WASHINGTON, District of Columbia — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team were upset by the North Carolina A&T Aggies (23-25, 19-25, 25-17, 27-25,7-15) during Friday's (Nov. 16) quarterfinal of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championships.
"It was a great season with a lot of good memories." Hawks Coach Trevor Callarman said. "Thanks to the seniors who have worked hard in their careers. We will miss them a lot. We hoped for a better outcome today but we can take away plenty of achievements from this fall."
Senior Lucia Babic (Sisak, Croatia) finished her college career with a 29 kills, moving into second on the all-time list with 1,251. She passed Whitney Johnson with her fourth kill of the match. The 29 kills also serves as a career high.
Fellow senior Rachel Kayongo (Northridge, California) ended her time on The Shore with a double-double of 16 kills and 10 digs, and senior Koya Sowells (Missouri City, Texas) secured 23 digs in her final match as a Hawk.
Junior Ivana Blazevic (Zagreb, Croatia) added 47 assists and nine digs. Freshman Mauri Carver (Elizabeth City, North Carolina) completed a season high nine block assists.
The Shore nearly overcame a 2-0 deficit for the second time this season, responding with a decisive victory in set three. Set four was tighter and the Aggies were ahead for much of the late stages. But the Hawks climbed back, eventually forcing extra play at 24-24. After the teams traded points, a Kayongo kill and a Carver and Blazevic block secured a 27-25 win to force set five.
However, the Aggies stymied the comeback by scoring 11 of the first 12 volleys, riding to the semifinals in the 15-7 decider.
Maryland Eastern Shore concludes their season with a 10-16 record.