BEL AIR, Md. – The Harford women's volleyball team fell to the Northern Virginia (NOVA) Nighthawks, 3-1, and were swept by the Monroe Mustangs during Saturday afternoon's tri-match inside the APGFCU Arena.

The Fighting Owls had little time to prepare for either team, as Saturday's three-team duel was not official announced until this past Thursday. Both NOVA and Monroe were previously scheduled for action down in Florida this weekend before Hurricane Dorian cancelled their respective tournaments.

Harford drops to 1-3 on the year after today's defeats. Monroe improves to 3-5 while NOVA moves to 3-1 on the year.

How it Happened - NOVA (25-15, 20-25, 26-16, 25-15)
Six errors by the Nighthawks fueled the Fighting Owls 7-5 lead early in set one, forcing them to call a timeout. NOVA stormed out of the break and took 11 of the next 13 points to take a commanding 16-8 lead, carrying that momentum into a first set win.

The Fighting Owls bounced back with a strong second set performance, tallying five of their 13 kills in the set down the stretch to pull away from the Nighthawks.

Harford and NOVA found themselves neck and neck again through the middle of the third (13-13) and fourth (10-10) sets, but the Nighthawks pulled through in both instances to secure the defeat of Harford.

Stat Leaders: Kills (Leslie – 12), Aces (Lopez – 5), Assists (Weyer – 22), Digs (Pfaff – 12)
 
How it Happened – Monroe (25-10, 25-10, 25-15)
The Mustangs' performance was as promised on Saturday, triumphing over both NOVA and Harford in straight sets.

After Monroe dominated the first two sets Harford would take advantage of a fatigued Mustang squad, building a 9-5 lead off strong offensive play from Maria Lopez, Alex Leslie and Maddy Weyer. Monroe recovered thereafter, earning eight of the set's next 10 points to claim a 13-12 advantage. Harford never recovered, scoring just three points the rest of the way to go home empty handed.

Stat Leaders: Kills (Lopez – 10), Aces (Weyer – 1), Assists (Weyer – 10), Digs (Pfaff – 6)

Quick Hits

• Faith Hill moved to 325 career assists on the year after today's game. The Harford sophomore needs 52 more to move into seventh place all-time in Harford history.
• Sophomore Maria Lopez sits at 216 career kills after Saturday's contests, 32 shy of breaking into Harford's top 10.
• The Fighting Owls set seasons highs for kills, assists and aces against NOVA.
• Harford remains without a win over Monroe in its modern era.
• NOVA moves to 4-1 against the Fighting Owls since 2009.

Up Next
Harford goes back out on the road to face the reigning Maryland JUCO Conference champion Montgomery on Tuesday, September 10 at 6 p.m.