Sept. 28, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - After sweeping competition at the Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) Lady Rams Invitational, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) women's volleyball team saw Christine Edwards (Lakewood, Calif./S. Joseph), Thonya Joseph (Bridgetown, Barbados/Clarendon JC) and Christina Estebané (El Paso, Texas/Midland College) named to the All-Tournament Team. Edwards received the Most Valuable Player Award.
"It was a good tournament for Christine to show her capabilities," said Head Coach Don Metil. "I think it's going to provide some mental toughness for her going into MEAC competition."
Edwards led the team with a tournament high 47 kills and finished second in the tournament with 13 aces. Her best performance came in the championship match against host WSSU. Edwards posted 11 kills with zero errors and five service aces. Joseph, a Barbados native, was extremely accurate throughout the tournament. Totaling 31 kills with only five errors in five matches, she finished with a tournament high .634*. She was also huge defensively, with a team high nine total blocks.
"TJ played well all weekend," said Metil. "She continues to have one of the highest hitting efficiencies out of our middles."
During the Lady Hawks' semi-final match vs. Savannah State, Joseph tied for the game high 11 kills with a .643 attack percentage.
Estebané has been unstoppable this year. This is her fourth All-Tournament nod this season. She put up tournament highs of 102 assists and 16 aces. Posting team highs in assists (31), aces (7) and digs (9) in the first match against WSSU, Estebané was the closest she's been to a triple-double since the September 20 match against Elon.
"Christina has been performing well this year," said Metil. "This was a really good weekend to help her get her confidence behind the line."
*Based on players with over 40 total attacks.
