Lady Hawks continue winning streak in second day of Brown Invitational - Volleyball
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Volleyball team recorded a second win at the Brown Invitational Tournament against hosts Brown University on Saturday, September 17. The five-set thriller between UMES Hawks and Brown Bears was a nail-biter
as the game went back and forth. Lady Hawks had a difficult time in the opening two sets but managed to outshine their resilient rivals in the following three sets. They settled for victory by sending 3-2 (13-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-16, 15-11) on the board. The
win has enabled the Hawks to improve to a 5-4 record in the ongoing season.
The Bears started off well in the match and jumped to a 9-3 lead in the first set. The support of local fans helped them to put pressure on their rivals. For the Bears, Maddie Lord exhibited a wonderful game and led her team to success in the first set.
Hawks could only score 13 points and dropped the opening set.
However, the spirited effort from the Hawks brought a lot of change in the next set. They gave good competition to the hosts and picked up a 4-3 lead. Meanwhile, Bears used a back row attack and registered five of the next six points. The Brown team went
up 8-5 and added more points to stretch the lead. Maline Vaitai of Hawks developed a good rhythm and raised her team’s score through some excellent kills. Hawks came really close to Bears and tied the score at 18-all but could not save the second set. The
Bears extended their lead to 2-0 after capturing the second set at 25-23.
Third set was another tight affair. Both sides exchanged long rallies and tied the score at 9-9. Zoe Bowens and Vaitai won straight points for UMES, while Bears used different defense tactics to stop them. Hawks continued with success and jumped from 16-11
to 20-13. The hosts also responded and shortened the of lead. The effort of the Bears was commendable but they dropped the third set with a narrow margin of two points 23-25.
Success in the third set restored the confidence of the Lady Hawks and they made a strong opening in the fourth. Victoria Williams stepped her game as she directed her shots in corners and scored through tricky bump passes. Bears trailed behind by 6 points
but the difference of points further widened as the Hawks continued with more attacking shots. Hawks strengthened their grip on the game and quickly covered the length of the fourth set. The score was now tied at 2-2 as the visitors took away fourth set, 25-16.
Saitaua Losia and Kaveinga of UMES put up a combined effort to win the decisive fifth set of the match. Lady Hawks built an early lead and put the Bears under pressure. The hosts once tied the score at 9-all but failed to surpass the Hawks. Eventually, UMES
achieved the set points and announced match victory by winning the final set of the game.
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