Nelsonville-OH – The Hocking College volleyball team (0-1) was swept by Cincinnati - Clermont, 3-0 (25-17,25-14,25-11), inside the Hocking College Student Center on Saturday night (August 24).
The Cougars (2-0), who compete as part of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) were ranked number one in the nation last year. Head Coach Josh Hamer was last year’s “Coach of the Year.”
Hocking College is a member of the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) which could very well be the toughest NJCAA D-II and D-III conference in the country. Last season, the league produced the national champion and the 5th-place team in D-III.
In the match, the Lady Hawks were led by a pair of freshmen making their college debut. Freshman outside hitter Sierra Delong (Chillicothe/Southeastern HS) recorded a team-high five kills.
Freshman hitter Maddison Southworth (Beavor,OH/Eastern HS) led the team in attacking percentage with .750 after posting three kills on four swings with no errors. The team finished with 12 kills on 28 attempts but committed 14 errors.
On defense, the Lady Hawks were led by Delong who recorded a team-high nine digs. Southworth added seven digs as the team finished with a total of 27.
The Cougars recorded 22 kills on 54 attacks with 14 serves aces while only committing 6 errors to gain a .296 kill percentage. The Cougars were led by junior Zoe England (Glen Este, OH) and freshman Alaina Smith (Oak Hills, OH). England recorded a match-high 13 attempts and match-high 10 assists, while Smith added 10 attacks. On defense, senior Kelsie Holland (Simon Kenton, KY) recorded a match-high 14 digs.
The Hawks will travel to Ohio University-Lancaster on Wednesday night (August 28). The next home match is Wednesday September 4th vs Sinclair Community College in a conference matchup set to begin at 6pm inside the Hocking College Student Center.