Keough

Ijeoma Igwe had 28 kills and six aces to power Seton Keough over visiting John Carroll in straight sets in girls volleyball Monday. Rachel Robinson added 36 assists for the Gators, who remained undefeated and improved their record to 14-0. The scores were 25-11, 25-12 and 25-20. No. 15 Archbishop Spalding 3, McDonogh 0: Kristen Seeba had 23 kills and 13 digs to lead the Cavaliers (12-4) over the visiting Eagles in an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland quarterfinal.

Archbishop Spalding has been hosting a fundraiser for the fight against cancer for the past six years, but Thursday's field hockey game carries special meaning for both the Cavaliers and their opponent, St. Mary's, which is playing in the contest for the first time. Several weeks ago, Spalding librarian Janet Distasio, who was the team's honorary captain two years ago, lost her battle with cancer; and three months ago -- on July 13 -- St. Mary's student Sarah Anne McMahon, 17, died from complications of leukemia.

A four-year starter, the senior has developed into one of the area's most dominating hitters for the No. 3 Gators, who improved to 9-0 on the season with three wins last week. In Seton Keough's victories over Bishop McNamara (3-0 on Sept. 24), St. Paul's (3-2 on Wednesday) and then-No. 15 Archbishop Spalding (3-2 on Friday), Igwe totaled 107 kills, 15 aces and six blocks. Her most impressive outing came in Friday's win against Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference rival Spalding when she tallied 41 kills, six aces and three blocks in the five-game match.

Expectations were high for Robi Zimmerman entering the season — and she met all of them. The senior pitcher finished 8-2 with an 1.60 ERA, leading the Gators to the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championship. Zimmerman pitched 70 innings, allowing 43 hits while striking out 49. She also had a no-hitter and only gave up one run in the two conference playoff games, including the championship game against Archbishop Spalding. At the plate, she batted .491, with 11 doubles, one triple, three home runs, and 27 RBIs.

Samantha O'Connor was perfect times two. She went five innings and struck out nine to register her second perfect game of the softball season as host No.7 Howard won, 10-0, over Mount Hebron on Thursday. Her first perfect game was a 15-0 win over Centennial on March 28. Taylor McGrann hit the go-ahead run to left field in the fifth inning to invoke the 10-run rule. No. 3 Seton Keough 10, Mercy 0: Winner Robi Zimmerman pitched a six-inning one-hitter and Bridget O'Malley hit a leadoff homer in the fourth inning for the host Gators (9-2)

Glen Burnie (6-2) has had a rough week as the metro area's No. 1 softball team. The Gophers lost, 11-6, to unranked Northeast on Tuesday, and host No. 8 Broadneck put together a five-run rally in the fourth Thursday to beat them, 5-1. Eagles right-hander Emilee Pslueger (4-3) gave up one unearned run in the first inning before settling down. She gave up six hits and two walks and struck out three. Broadneck's Nicole Blackwell hit an RBI double in the five-run fourth-inning rally.

Seton Keough has the luxury of being able to march out two pitchers in Robi Zimmerman and Hannah Tavik who routinely dominate the opposition. In Friday's Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland showdown with third-ranked Mercy, it was Tavik's turn to take the ball, and she responded with another stellar outing in the second-ranked Gators' 3-0 victory. Tavik allowed just two hits over seven innings with seven strikeouts and no walks, giving visiting Seton Keough sole possession of first place in the IAAM A Conference midway through the season with a 4-0 record (7-1 overall)

Seton Keough pitcher Robi Zimmerman only needed 14 pitches in the first two innings to set the tone against two-time defending champion Archbishop Spalding in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland opener Tuesday. Zimmerman focused on throwing strikes and allowed her defense to make plays, leading the fourth-ranked Gators to a 1-0 victory over the No. 3 Cavaliers in Severn. Zimmerman pitched a complete game, allowing just two hits with one walk and four strikeouts on 66 pitches.

Visiting No. 5 North County got its regular softball season off to a great start Wednesday. Pitcher Brittany Jones pitched a one-hitter and Nicole Merriman started a four-hit, five run rally as the Knights upset No. 1 Seton Keough, 6-1. Jones drove in three runs with a double for North County (1-0), which next travels to Northeast on Friday at 4 p.m. The Cavaliers fell to 5-6. Tied at 1 after the first inning, the Knights scored five runs in the third and held on to win. No. 2 Archbishop Spalding 4, Chesapeake-AA 2: Freshman right-hander Ali Caulkins picked up her first win of the season, pitching seven innings and striking out two for the host Cavaliers (1-1)