Sept. 21, 2008
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) women's volleyball team had a pretty good weekend at the Colonial Challenge hosted by the College of William & Mary. They swept Elon and Radford, but fell to the host Tribe on Friday night 3-1. All-around they played well and two of those star players were recognized for their effort as Caylin Woodward (Garden Grove, Calif.) and Christina Estebane' (El Paso, Texas) were both named to the All-Tournament Team.
Woodward had 18 kills on the weekend but her all around play earned her the honor. She added 12 assists and 39 digs on defense to play a big part in the team's success. Woodward added four blocks and an ace in the Hawk's 10 sets.
Esetbane' has been the go to player all season. The reigning UMES Athlete of the Week and MEAC Player of the Week has earned three All-Tournament Team selections this season in the four tournaments played. Her best match statistically came on Saturday when she posted the team's first triple double of the year with 10 kills, 33 assists and 13 digs.
On the weekend the senior setter posted 14 kills, 93 assists and 37 digs. Beyond her digging the ball the setter was up at the net, tallying five blocks in the team's 10 sets, four coming against Radford. She also tossed up four aces and four attack errors. She made all four of those against William & Mary and was perfect in the wins over Elon and Radford.
The host Tribe finished the tournament with a perfect 3-0 record and had the event's Most Valuable Player in Ginny Bray while also placing Kim Mount and Lauren Powell on the honor squad. Elon's Caroline Lemke and Radford's Jess Sullivan were also named to the All-Tournament Team. Elon defeated Radford 3-1 to take third place in the tournament standings.
Woodward and Estebane' lead UMES into next weekend's grueling road schedule, another tournament. This one is hosted by Winston-Salem State and features St. Augustine's and Savannah State. The Hawks play twice on Friday and open with WSSU on Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. The tournament also features a semi-final and championship match. They conclude their trip on Sunday with a non-conference match-up against North Carolina Central in Durham, N.C.
