On Tuesday, September 23, The Montgomery College Raptors’ volleyball team (14-3) ventured to Frederick County to win their ninth consecutive match against the Frederick Community College Cougars (4-6) in a one-sided manner, only needing 3 sets and winning each of them by 9 or more points.
The previous weekend consisted of two dominant outings at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) Tri-Match, in which the Raptors swept both the CSM Hawks (8-8) and the Allegany College of Maryland Trojans (4-3), respectively. Their success can be attributed to their suffocating defense, exceptional front-row depth, and meticulous performance from beyond the service line. Sophomore libero Alaryss Medina shared her thoughts on the match in an exclusive interview.
“I know my girls will shut them down… I’m lucky to have teammates that play as hard and as well as they do.”
First Match v. CSM
In 110 attacks, the Raptors ended with a total of 38 kills; with just 10 errors, their .252 hitting percentage flirted with D1-level efficiency.
It all starts with the pass, without a good pass, there’s no hit. Enter Medina, whose 20 digs anchored the Raptors’ defense this match. She was everywhere: covering tips, hard-driven swings, and deflections from CSM’s blockers. We asked Medina to comment on her and the team’s communication prior to and during matches to assure that the ball stays up, and they stay out of each other’s way.
“Everyone has a separate role on the team that strengthens us as a whole. It’s my job to consistently reassure everyone in both the front and back row… I never shut up, as long as my teammates hear me, they know I’ll try my hardest to get that ball up.”
As much as liberos may love throwing themselves around to pass every ball that crosses the plane of the net, it’s also relieving to have blockers who do their job, and MC’s block was there that day. Middle blockers Hillary Malik and Caitlin Doherty terrorized the Hawks’ hitters throughout all three sets. Doherty, in particular, concluded the match with four consecutive blocks, two of which directly resulting in points.
“Hillary and Caitlin make my job as easy as it gets. Against a consistent offense, I know my girls will either shut them down, slow them down, or funnel their hits directly to me just how I like it. I’m lucky to have two consistent middles,” Medina explained when asked about Doherty and Malik’s performance.
It’s assuring to see the chemistry she’s built with the rest of the Raptors in such a short period of time; Medina, originally from Texas, is a transfer student who played for the Hagerstown Community College Hawks last season. Given her impressive resume on the court, the only room for concern would be regarding how well she’d mesh with the rest of the team. When asked about transferring to MC and how the volleyball culture here compares to Houston and Hagerstown, this what she had to say:
“MC’s culture is definitely one of the most supportive I’ve been a part of. Despite most of us being new, we’ve really built a welcoming yet competitive environment. Coming in as a sophomore at a new school was a little nerve wracking, but the girls and coaches made me feel right at home. Here I’ve adopted the idea of everyone pushing and holding each other accountable, while also remembering to stay close despite the fact that we’re competing for the same spots on the court.”
Between the pass and the hit comes the set, the responsibility of returning setter Janelle Orellana. She accumulated 51 assists across both matches, 28 of which were against the Hawks, in an efficient and calculated manner. She assisted 74% of the team’s total kills across six different attackers, distributing the ball so opponents couldn’t key on one hitter.
The Raptors’ collective effort resulted in a resounding sweep, as they were +32 in total points for the match.
Second match v. ACM
The Raptors were equally, if not more, dominant against the Trojans, as everyone was firing on all cylinders. Players like Orellana, Malik, and starting outside hitter Sofiia Mateshuk, who led the team with 14 kills against CSM, got to rest in this one; With the bench committing to pick up where they left off.
Reserve pin hitter Isabella Pavlo made an immediate impact, recording four kills in just six attempts. Some of those sets came from reserve setter Rosely Valdivia, who chimed in with 10 assists. Freshman outside hitter and defensive specialist Jordan Dasilva left her mark as well, recording seven digs, two kills, and an ace.
Speaking of aces, the Raptors had 14 of them in just 3 sets, accounting for nearly 19% of their points; this is almost triple the average number of points teams at this level score off of serves. Orellana and Medina served 10 of these aces, 5 a piece, proving to be all too much for the Trojans’ serve receive.
This year’s Raptors’ squad is legit, as shown by their now 14-3 record. They’ve had a week to prepare for their next match against the Carroll Community College Lynx (6-1). They play at home, in which they seek to extend their winning streak to double digits at 6:00 p.m on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
