Hagerstown sophomore Andrea Nelson claimed that the Hawks truly believed that they were going to come out on top.
"When we beat Catonsville yesterday, that gave us some confidence where we knew that we were capable of beating them," Nelson said. "We wanted to beat Catonsville real bad, since they edged us out for the regular-season title. We're all glad that we won the tournament."
Nelson collected 29 digs, 20 kills and 13 points during the final match. Jones finished with a .348 hitting percentage, 16 kills and 19 digs.
"When I was at the net, I just looked for holes and I found them," Jones said. "That was where I put the ball. It's not just me; it's everybody out there on the court. I have no play at the net, if there is no bump or set before that. That is what it depends on. Everybody working together was what gave me an opportunity to make a good play."
During the deciding fifth game, Baker snapped a 6-6 tie with five consecutive service points for Hagerstown. The Cardinals eventually tied the game, but Katie Baker got a stuff block on match point for the victory.
"I'm just so proud of those players," Hagerstown coach Marlys Palmer said. "This team, for how it has grown in two months, is 100 percent change."
Hagerstown had five players selected to the first team for the All-Tournament Team: tournament MVP Britt Jones, Tera Martin, Molly Schoenberg, Baker and Nelson.
Three of those five players were also named to the Region XX team. Jones and Nelson were on the first team; Martin was on the third team.
