The College of Southern Maryland volleyball team will recognize sophomores Mia Decarlo and Lelia Iafeta prior to its match against WVU Potomac State College at 7 p.m. on October 14, 2025, at the CSM Gymnasium. The non-conference contest marks sophomore night for the Hawks, who enter with a 14-11 overall record and 10-3 mark in the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference. Potomac State holds a 10-4 overall record and 2-1 in its conference. The game streams live on the college’s YouTube channel.
Decarlo, a 5-foot-4 defensive specialist from Frostburg, Maryland, who attended Mountain Ridge High School, has appeared in 17 matches this season, playing 48 sets. She has recorded 28 points at 0.58 per set, one kill at 0.02 per set, seven assists at 0.15 per set, 27 service aces at 0.56 per set and 94 digs at 1.96 per set, with a hitting percentage of 0.500 on two attacks. Over her career, spanning 38 matches and 103 sets, Decarlo has tallied 64 points at 0.62 per set, 11 kills at 0.11 per set on 37 attacks with a 0.054 hitting percentage, eight assists at 0.08 per set, 53 service aces at 0.51 per set and 302 digs at 2.93 per set. She earned All-MD JUCO honorable mention in 2024. Decarlo committed to CSM after a high school career that included travel teams with Mountain State Storm Volleyball Club in West Virginia and Frostburg Bobcat Volleyball Club in Maryland.
Iafeta, a 5-foot-10 outside and opposite side hitter from Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, who attended Keebra Park State High School, has played in 22 matches this season across 70 sets. She leads the team with 278 points at 3.97 per set, 250 kills at 3.57 per set on 796 attacks with a 0.149 hitting percentage, 12 assists at 0.17 per set, 18 service aces at 0.26 per set, 162 digs at 2.31 per set and 18 total blocks at 0.26 per set, including two solo and 16 assists. In her career over 42 matches and 124 sets, Iafeta has accumulated 392 points at 3.16 per set, 347 kills at 2.80 per set on 1,099 attacks with a 0.150 hitting percentage, 14 assists at 0.11 per set, 22 service aces at 0.18 per set, 200 digs at 1.61 per set and 33 total blocks at 0.27 per set, with 13 solo and 20 assists. Iafeta reached double-figure kills in four straight MD JUCO victories earlier this month, totaling 55 kills at 4.23 per set and 29 digs at 2.23 per set in those contests.
The Hawks hold a four-match winning streak over the Catamounts, with the most recent victory a 3-2 decision on October 16, 2024, at the CSM Gymnasium by set scores of 25-21, 27-25, 16-25, 11-25 and 15-9. Since 2012, Potomac State leads the series 11-5. The Catamounts’ last win came on October 8, 2021, by a 3-1 score. Earlier series highlights include CSM’s 3-0 sweep over Potomac State on October 8, 2022, as part of a tri-match that also featured a win over Allegany College of Maryland. In the 2022 NJCAA Region 20 Division II quarterfinal, CSM defeated Potomac State 3-1 on October 29, 2022.
CSM has compiled a 14-11 record this season, including a 10-3 conference mark, placing it competitively in the MD JUCO standings behind leaders like Montgomery College at 10-0 in division play and 15-3 overall. The Hawks opened the year with four losses at the Cape Fear Invitational in Wilmington, North Carolina, but rebounded with sweeps in MD JUCO action, including a 3-0 win over Chesapeake College on October 1, 2025. A 3-0 loss to No. 16 Richard Bland College on September 23, 2025, highlighted non-conference challenges. Team statistics show 8.06 kills per set, a 0.114 hitting percentage, 7.08 assists per set, 1.33 blocks per set and 8.31 digs per set through 11 matches.
Potomac State, affiliated with West Virginia University, has posted a 10-4 record, with recent results including a 3-2 loss to CSM in 2024 and splits in other contests. The Catamounts average 11.12 kills per set, a 0.194 hitting percentage, 10.29 assists per set, 1.63 blocks per set and 13.68 digs per set through 12 matches. Potomac State has faced teams like Harford Community College and Montgomery College in recent seasons, with a 3-1 loss to Montgomery on October 19, 2024.
NJCAA volleyball rules govern matches, with best-of-five sets to 25 points, except the fifth to 15, requiring a two-point margin. Teams like CSM focus on fundamentals such as serving, passing and blocking, with Decarlo’s digs and Iafeta’s kills exemplifying defensive and offensive roles.
