Rams spike volleyball opponents in unbeaten start

Lindblad
SHEPHERDSTOWN — Through September, the Shepherd volleyball team was marching through its opponents in unbeaten style.
With a 14-0 record, the Rams were just beginning to get into their PSAC schedule. Both Pitt-Johnstown and luckless Indiana had fallen to the Rams without winning any games in their recent matches in Shepherdstown against Shepherd.
A number of the schools that have fallen to the Rams were well known opponents from the Mountain East Conference, of which Shepherd was a member last season.
Becoming numbers in Shepherd’s all-win success column were MEC members Urbana, Charleston, West Virginia State, West Virginia Wesleyan and Concord. In fact, Shepherd defeated Concord on consecutive nights about 10 days ago.
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference divides its 16 member schools into four divisions for volleyball and Shepherd is in the Southeast Division.
Back in the beginning of the season, the Rams were winning matches by a 3-2 score, but in recent successes against the MEC schools Shepherd began posting wins by 3-0 scores. Pitt-Johnstown (now 7-3 overall) and Indiana (now 1-10 overall) both were stopped by 3-0 match scores.
Peyton Lindblad, a 6-foot senior from Riverbend High in Virginia, has already been named the PSAC Player of the Week on two occasions. She had 169 kills through the first 14 matches. Cambriea Hill, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter from Columbia, Md., has recorded 126 kills.
Another product of Riverbend High is middle hitter Geone Goode. Jessica Karcz has been credited with 341 successful sets and 21 service aces as the Rams have steadily built their winning streak.
Junior middle hitter Nicole Murray played at North Hagerstown High and sophomore middle hitter Georgia Ohmke comes from Falls Church High in Virginia .
The youngest of the Rams who have logged the most playing time and played in the most matches is freshman Elyssia Smith, a 5-foot-11 first-year player from Colonial Forge High just outside of Washington, D.C., in suburban Virginia.
From just across the Potomac River in Hagerstown is Mikaylah Hoy, who prepped at Heritage Academy and has played in all 14 matches. Imani Major has also appeared in all 14 matches and Milleysha Molina-Otero has also been asked to relieve some of the usual starters.
In its final season in the MEC, Shepherd did well and was a regional contender. This season, the Rams won’t be taking any of their Pennsylvania brethren by surprise and could possibly earn a regional playoff berth if their scalding-hot beginning to the 2019 season continues.