Harford dropped the opening set last Saturday before winning the next three to dispatch Monroe University and win the NJCAA Division II Mid-Atlantic District Championship.

The victory earned the Fighting Owls a spot in the NJCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Championship, hosted by Cedar Rapids Tourism. The national tournament will be held November 20-23 at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

"What a sweet victory it was," said head volleyball coach Johnny Powell. "We have pushed these [young women] all season to prepare them for many of the battles we have had. We knew from the beginning of the season with Monroe coming back into the district at Division II they would be one of the biggest obstacles on our journey of getting back to nationals."

It's the second time this season Harford had defeated Monroe, the last time taking place during the regular season on September 24. Prior to this season, the Fighting Owls had lost 20 straight to the Mustangs.
After losing the first set, Harford's hitters ratcheted up their play to take the second and third sets 25-22, before closing out the match 25-17 in the fourth. 

Laura Piva (Trecate, Italy) and Morgan Barnett (Spring Hill, Fla.) seemed to drive the Fighting Owls' (21-0) offense in the comeback victory. 

Piva finished with a game-high 28 kills and 31.5 points, while adding six digs.

Piva's 5.13 kills per set are tied for No. 2 in the country and No. 1 in Region 20 Division II. Her 369 total kills led Region 20 this season.

Piva was also recently named NJCAA Region 20 Division II Volleyball Player of the Month, after averaging 5.03 kills and 6.1 points per set to lead the Fighting Owls to a 9-0 record in October. She hit .353% with 20 service aces and 3.03 digs per set and added 10 blocks and six block assists.

Barnett had the second most assists in the District Championship game with 38.

Clara Pauni (West Jordan, Utah) anchored the Harford defensive effort, ending the game with 16 digs, second to only Monroe's Kristhaly Torres' 18.

Pauni is Top 5 in the region this season with 4.67 digs per set and 336 total digs.

The NJCAA today announced the Fighting Owls as the tournament's No. 16 seed and they will play No. 17 Milwaukee Area Tech on November 20 at 10 a.m. EST.

"It feels super nice to be headed back to Iowa for the second time in school history," Powell said. "It's something we've talked about to the freshman and we're glad that they will get to experience it."

Stay tuned to www.harfordathletics.com to learn more about the Fighting Owls' tournament path.