FREDERICK, Md.--The Hood College volleyball team (3-21, 0-7 CAC) hung with the University Mary Washington (19-9, 4-3 CAC) in all three games but came up short, falling 3-0 to the Eagles (19-30, 19-30, 25-30) in a Capital Athletic Conference match Thursday at Gambrill Gym.

Hood came out strong in the first set, taking a 7-5 lead on a kill by Lindsey Nagy. The Blazers maintained their edge until an ace by Katheryn Carter knotted the frame at 11-11. The Eagles outscored Hood 7-2 over the next several exchanges. After a Blazer attack error allowed the Mary Washington lead to swell to 23-16, Hood called a timeout, its second of the set. The Blazers got no closer however and dropped the first set 30-19.

The Eagles ripped off the first nine points of the second set and at one point led 20-6, but the Blazers fought back and scored seven straight points to draw to within 25-16 on spectacular blocking by the freshman tandem of Katie Worthington and Kristan Hawkins. But once again the deficit was too large to overcome and the Eagles took the second set, 30-19.

Mary Washington held the advantage in the third set as well but the Blazers wouldn't go away. Trailing 23-16, Hood pulled to within four on a pair of kills by Nagy, one from Jamie Bussey and two more blocks by Hawkins and senior Ashley Bryan, which ended a long rally. Later in the match the Blazers fought off four match points before Mary Washington clinched the match on an Anne Lutkenhaus kill that just grazed the endline.

Nagy finished with six kills and five digs while Bussey and junior Jamie Gardner led the defense with 14 digs apiece. Freshman Kristina Straub registered a double-double with 10 assists and 10 digs, while Bryan and freshman Krista Zerby served up three aces apiece.

The Blazers return to action Saturday at the Goucher College triangular with Rutgers-Newark. Hood's first match is slated for 10 a.m.