The Montgomery College Raptors women’s volleyball team (16-2) extended their winning streak to nine with a resounding 3-1 win against the Carroll Community College Lynx (8-7) in Westminster, Maryland last Tuesday. The Raptors took commanding leads in the third and fourth sets after receiving quite a bit of pushback from the Lynx in the first two.
MC sophomore Logan Burge, Raptors’ defensive stalwart, utilized her aggressiveness at the net in the nail-biting opening set to secure their 25-23 victory. While down 15-10, Burge gave the Raptors a push in momentum with two consecutive solo-block kills. She had five of her six blocks in the first set alone, extending her season’s block total at the time to 54. Also, she contributed offensively with three successful attacks, including the set’s final two points which were assisted by MC freshman setter Janelle Orellana.
Orellana recorded eight of her thirty-four total assists in that first set. On top of her season-high in assists, she served three aces in the third set after the Raptors’ loss in the second, regaining their momentum for the rest of the match. Thirteen of her assists were to outside and right side hitter MC sophomore Jaynna Crocker.
Crocker led the Raptors in kills, acquiring 16 of the team’s 55 total. She had her hands on each aspect of the match, making contributions beyond her masterclass at the net. Crocker also led the team in digs with thirteen; her and sophomore libero Milena Bates recorded 25 of the team’s 45 digs. As the second half approached, their unceasing activity on the defensive end pushed them well beyond the Lynx not only on the scoreboard, but in spirit as well.
The Raptors won the third and fourth sets by 12 and 11 points, respectively, due to their seemingly enhanced focus, which resulted in a much more efficient display of volleyball.
In the first half’s 82 total hitting attempts, only 26 were converted, giving the Raptors a success rate of less than 15 percent when paired with their 20 errors. On the contrary, the second half saw the Raptors hitting not only harder, but more strategically to misdirect the Lynx’s defense and nearly double their efficiency on offense. The Raptors accumulated 29 kills in only 56 attempts in the third and fourth sets, while also reducing their number of errors from 20 to 11, meaning their kill percentage skyrocketed from 14.9% to 27.5%, while their errors decreased by 45%. Doubling your efficiency while simultaneously cutting your mistakes in half will boost your team’s morale while deteriorating the other’s, which makes it no surprise that the Raptors won these sets by double digits.
On Saturday, October 5th, the Raptors swept the competition in their tri-match against the Westmoreland Wolfpack (3-12) and Baltimore City Lady Panthers (0-6), respectively, bringing their winning streak to eleven. The Raptors’ next match will be at home where they’ll be taking their second shot at the Monroe University Mustangs (16-4). The two last matched up on August 30th, where the Mustangs swept the Raptors on their home court. MC will be seeking revenge tomorrow at 4pm; will they prevail as underdogs and elongate their streak to twelve?
