Game Notes | Live Audio for Coppin State
Oct. 15, 2009
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team (13-6, 2-0 MEAC) continues Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play this weekend when the Hawks host Hampton Friday at the William P. Athletic Hytche Center and travel to Coppin State Sunday. Friday's match with Hampton is set for 6 p.m. and Sunday's match at Coppin State's Coppin Center is scheduled for 2 p.m.
UMES FALTERS EARLY BUT TOPS DELAWARE STATE
The Hawks dropped the opening set in Dover, Del., 25-18, before reeling off three straight sets to win their second MEAC match of the season (18-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-16). Christine Edwards (13) and Whitney Johnson (12) each recorded double-digit kills. Karin Vikterlof chipped in with a season-best 17 digs. Caylin Woodward also contributed 12 digs in the match. After the Hornets hit .441 in set one, the Hawks held them to hitting percentages of .120, .258 and .103 in the final three sets.
EDWARDS LEADING THE WAY
Sophomore outside hitter Christine Edwards ranks second on the Hawks in kills with 188 (Whitney Johnson, 196). Edwards has increased her production of late. She has led the Hawks in kills in the last three matches. Against NCCU on Oct. 4, she had 14 kills, on Oct. 6 against Morgan State, she had 10 kills and on Oct. 11 against DSU she had 13 kills. Edwards leads all sophomores in the MEAC in kills.
VIKTERLOF RISES TO THE OCCASION
Freshman libero Karin Vikterlof boosted the Lady Hawks with a seasonhigh 17 digs against Delaware State. Only Caylin Woodward has posted more digs in a single match this season (21 vs. YSU, Sept. 20 & 19 at Pittsburgh, Aug. 28). Vikterlof has 33 digs in the last three matches. She has recorded double-digit kills five times this season and ranks second on the team in the category with 155 digs.
T.J. JOSEPH SURPASSES100 CAREER BLOCKS
With four blocks against Morgan State, Thonya Joseph went over the century mark for her career at UMES. With one more block against Delaware State, she now has 111 career blocks at UMES. Last season, she led the Hawks with 71 blocks. Joseph ranks tied for sixth in the MEAC in blocks (Cassandra Joyner, 65, Delaware State).
SERVING UP ACES
The Lady Hawks had a season-high 13 service aces in their last match against Delaware State. Christine Edwards, Bella Jade Romero and Caylin Woodward each registered three service aces. Karin Vikterlof and Whitney Johnson each had two. They had 11 service aces in their match prior against Morgan State (second most this season). The Hawks lead the conference in aces per set (1.95).
PROTECTING THE HYTCHE CENTER
The Hawks have a 16-1 record at the Hytche Athletic Center over the last three years. Their lone loss was the opener this season against Sacred Heart. In 2006, the Hawks went 10-4 at home. Therefore, UMES is 26-5 over the last four seasons at Hytche. The last time the Hawks lost to a MEAC opponent at home was on Nov. 9 vs. Morgan State (3-2).
TWO-YEAR DOMINANCE OVER THE MEAC
Since head coach Don Metil arrived in Princess Anne, the Lady Hawks have had a stranglehold on the entire conference. In 2008, the Hawks went a perfect 11-0 against MEAC opponents. In fact, in the regular season, the Hawks won all 33 sets against MEAC competition. In 2007, the Hawks won 33-of-39 total sets against the MEAC and again went a perfect 11-0.
LEADING THE MEAC
The Lady Hawks lead the MEAC in several major statistical categories. The Hawks lead the circuit in: hitting percentage (.259), assists per game (11.78) and kills per (12.67). Individually, Whitney Johnson is third in the conference with a .303 hitting percentage and Christine Edwards is also third in kills per game at 3.30. Bella Jade Romero is second in the conference in assists, averaging 10.27 per set, while Caylin Woodward is sixth in the league in digs per game at 3.10.
JOHNSON REACHES 1,000 CAREER KILLS
Hawks senior Whitney Johnson reached 1,000 career kills with nine against La Salle on Sept. 12. With 196 total this season, Johnson has 1,130 kills in her illustrious career at UMES. In 2007, Johnson had 525 kills en route to being named the MEAC Player of the Year. Last season, she recorded 387 kills.
SCOUTING THE LADY PIRATES
Hampton split a two matches last weekend against Delaware State (L, 1-3) and Coppin State (W, 3-1). Aaryn Harrison paced the Pirates against Coppin with 15 killds. Mianna Armstrong also contributed 14 kills. Harrison leads the Lady Pirates with 157 kills on the season. Lihi Elkayam is the setter, averaging 7.64 assists per set. The Pirates have an attack percentage of just .131.
SCOUTING THE LADY EAGLES
The Coppin State will play at Morgan State on Friday before hosting the Hawks on Sunday. The Lady Eagles lone win this season came on Oct. 6 against NCCU. The Lady Eagles have won just six of 71 sets this season. Coppin has a hitting percentage of just .057 (315th in the nation). The last time the Eagles beat the Hawks was Sept. 27, 2005.
2008: SECOND MOST WINS EVER
The 2008 Lady Hawks won 25 total games, the second highest win total in school history. The 2003 team won 26 total games, the most in UMES history. The 2003 squad was led by one of the greatest players in UMES history, Jana Milin. She was named MEAC Player of the Year in both 2002 and 2003. Milin still holds the single-season record for kills with 644 in 2003.
BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
The Lady Hawks have led the MEAC conference in total kills and assists the last three seasons. In 2006, the Hawks paced the league with 1690 kills and 1482 assists. In 2007, they again led the league with 1550 kills and 1352 assists. Last season, the Hawks were atop the conference with 1,513 kills and 1,382 assists.
HAWKS WIN RUNNIN' BULLDOG CLASSIC
In early September, the Hawks won three of four matches in Boiling Springs, N.C. to win the Runnin' Bulldog Classic. The Hawks sweep the Wofford Terriers in the final match to win the title. Sophomore outside hitter Christine Edwards was named the MVP of the tournament. Senior Caylin Woodward was named to the all-tournament team along with Edwards.
DOUBLE-TROUBLE FOR OPPONENTS
Several UMES players have recorded double-doubles this season. Below is a complete list:
Bella Jade Romero - 44 Assists, 10 Digs (8/28 @ William & Mary)Christine Edwards - 22 Kills, 12 Digs (8/28 @ William & Mary) Bella Jade Romero - 25 Assists, 13 Digs (8/29 vs. Rider) Caylin Woodward - 13 Kills, 12 Digs (9/4 vs. Gardner-Webb) Christine Edwards - 14 Kills, 11 Digs (9/4 vs. Gardner-Webb) Caylin Woodward - 10 Kills, 11 Digs (9/4 vs. Wofford College) Bella Jade Romero - 48 Assists, 16 Digs (9/5 vs. Gardner-Webb) Caylin Woodward - 13 Kills, 21 Digs (9/20 vs. Youngstown State) Bella Jade Romero - 64 Assists, 12 Digs (9/20 vs. Youngstown State) Caylin Woodward - 10 kills, 11 digs (9/26 vs. Norfolk State)
BELLA JADE'S PURSUIT OF 1,000
Lady Hawks freshman setter Bella Jade Romero has 646 assists on the season (10.25 per game). She has nine more regular season matches and potentially three in the MEAC tournament to accomplish the feat. Current graduate assistant coach Christina Estebane recorded 1,118 assists during the 2007-08 season. Sanda Dzile holds the UMES mark for assists in a single-season with 1322 assists in 2003.
1,000 KILLS AND 1,000 DIGS FOR WOODWARD
Caylin Woodward joined the 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs club. Woodward has 1,230 career digs and 1,039 career kills at UMES. She is the only player in program history to accomplish the feat. Woodward has a chance to set her personal marks in both categories. Both of her personal highs came during her freshman campaign when she accumulated 368 digs and 377 kills.
28TH IN THE NATION IN HITTING PERCENTAGE
The Hawks rank 28th in the NCAA in hitting percentage (.258). There are 329 NCAA women's volleyball programs. Florida A&M is second in the MEAC, but 148th nationally in hitting efficiency (.204). Samantha Chukwura is tops on the Hawks among qualifiers with a .357 hitting percentage. Thonya Joseph (.342) and Whitney Johnson (.301) are the other two UMES players with above .300 hitting marks.
QUEEN OF THE SOPHOMORES IN THE MEAC
Christine Edwards leads all MEAC sophomores in hitting percentage (.207). Edwards recorded a season-high 22 kills against William & Mary on Aug. 28. She had a season high hitting percentage of .542 against Navy on Sept. 11.
HAWKS DISTRIBUTE THE WEALTH
Six Hawks have had over 100 total attacks this season (Christine Edwards, Whitney Johnson, Caylin Edwards, Samantha Chukwura, Thonya Joseph and Bella Jade Romero). Zoe Bowens (89) is also closing in on the century mark in that category.
ROMERO 59TH NATIONALLY IN ASSISTS PER GAME
Bella Jade Romero ranks 59th in the NCAA in assists per set with a 10.36 average as of Oct. 12. The only MEAC player ahead of the freshman is Jessica Bond of Florida A&M, who is 55th in the NCAA at 10.40 per game.
VIKTERLOF TOPS AMONG MEAC FRESHMEN IN DIGS
Karin Vikterlof leads all MEAC freshman in digs per set at 2.58 as of Oct. 12. The Orebro, Sweden native has tallied double-digit digs on five occasions and recorded her career high (17) in the Hawks' fourset victory over Delaware State. Vikterloff has 155 total digs on the season.
JOHNSON, EDWARDS IN 20-KILL CLUB
Senior Whitney Johnson and sophomore Christine Edwards are the only two UMES players to date to tally 20-or-more kills in a match. Johnson was the first to accomplish the feat this season for the Hawks, recording 26 in the 3-2 win against Younstown State on Sept. 20. Edwards had 22 in the second match of the year on Aug. 28 at William & Mary, a contest the Hawks lost to the Tribe in four games at Kaplan Arena.
CHUKWURA MAKES FEW MISTAKES
Redshirt junior Samantha Chukwura has committed just 34 errors for a team-high hitting mark of .352. She has made just four errors in the last two matches (26 total attacks). Chukwura has gone without an error in five matches this season. The most errors she has made in one match was five against Gardner-Webb on Sept. 5.
