Nov. 1, 2008
Box Score
Baltimore, Md. - Last year, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) women's volleyball team (22-8) hit a record 27 aces against Coppin State. They nearly topped that goal in their 3-0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-11) win over the Lady Eagles Friday night, as they posted a season high 21 aces, clinching the Northern Division title for the second straight year.
"We put ourselves in a position today to potentially take over the number one ranking in the nation for aces per set," said Head Coach Don Metil. "We knew that we had to come out aggressively behind the line tonight and felt confident that if we made an error, we could sideout."
Everyone on the UMES roster saw time on the court as the Lady Hawks out performed Coppin in nearly every category. Christina EstebanÃÆ'Æ'Æ'ÃÆ'ââ'¬Â '© (El Paso, Texas) led the offense with game-highs of 27 assists and seven aces. Whitney Johnson (Prince Frederick, Md.) and Christine Edwards (Lakewood, Calif.) tied for the game-high of eight kills. Johnson had a career high five aces and Leah Amundson (Tucson, Ariz.) finished with a game-high seven digs.
UMES is currently ranked fifth nationally in aces per set with EstebanÃÆ'Æ'Æ'ÃÆ'ââ'¬Â '© ranking sixth overall individually. The Lady Hawks hit .647 as a team in the second set, allowing Coppin (0-22) to score just seven earned points.
Coppin's Brittany Arvin tied Johnson and Edwards for the game-high eight kills and finished with a team high seven digs. Lauren Lacy finished with a team high 11 assists.
UMES travels to Washington, D.C.next to face second place Howard University on November 2 at 2 p.m. They need the win to complete their second straight undefeated season in conference play.
"It's a good feeling to know that we have the north locked up," said Metil. "We still need to prepare for Howard [University], because we know that they're the number two team in the north right now and any momentum they would get by beating us would transfer into the tournament."
