Nov. 7, 2008
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced Thursday that for the second straight year, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) women's volleyball team is the no. 1 seed in the north for the conference tournament.
The Lady Hawks finished the regular season undefeated in conference play, setting a school record by not dropping a single set in 14 straight matches against MEAC opponents.
"We've put ourselves in a great position to advance in the tournament," said Head Coach Don Metil. "This year's team has the physical ability and the mental capacity to contest for the MEAC championship."
Led by senior captain Christina EstebanÃÆ'Æ'Æ'ÃÆ'ââ'¬Â '© (El Paso, Texas), 2007 MEAC Player of the Year junior Whitney Johnson (Prince Frederick, Md.) and freshman standout Christine Edwards (Lakewood, Calif.), the Lady Hawks will be facing the no. 4 seed in the south, Norfolk State, in the first round. UMES will need to top the 10-22 Spartans and then take on the winner of northern division rival Delaware State and southern division no. 2 seed South Carolina State if they are to repeat their appearance in the conference title match.
The reigning MEAC Champion Florida A&M is the no. 1 seed in the south.
EstebanÃÆ'Æ'Æ'ÃÆ'ââ'¬Â '© is a five time MEAC Player of the Week and leads the conference in assists (938), and double-doubles (10). She is ranked fifth nationally in aces per set and sixth in the MEAC for digs.
Johnson is second in the conference in hitting percentage (.319) and kills per set. The two-time MEAC Player of the Week is second on the team in kills and is nationally ranked in hitting percentage and kills per set.
Edwards is currently ranked in the conference for points (2), kills per set (3), aces (5) and hitting percentage (7). The four-time MEAC Rookie of the Week leads the team in kills with 355 and has been named a conference top performer six times.
As a team, UMES (23-8) is ranked third nationally for aces per set. The Lady Hawks will be looking to capture the school's first volleyball conference title in history. The MEAC Championships are set for November 14-16 in Hampton, Va.
