Oct. 29, 2009

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PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Easterm Shore volleyball team (17-6, 6-0 MEAC) puts its eight-match winning streak on the line this weekend when the Hawks face Delaware State and Hampton Friday and Sunday, respectively.

Friday's match at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center at 7 p.m. is DiG PiNK Night to celebrate cancer awareness. Representatives from the Richard A. Henson Cancer Institute at Peninsula Regional Center will be on hand to answer questions and distribute literature. Fans will also have the opportunity to win "Take A Hands-On Approach" t-shirts. Also, between the second and third games, there will be a Halloween costume cpntest. The top three costumes will will great prizes.

Sunday's match at Hampton's Holland Hall is slated for 3 p.m.

UMES CRUISES PAST HOWARD, MORGAN STATE Last weekend, the Hawks swept both Howard and Morgan State to remain atop the Northern Division at 6-0 in conference play. Whitney Johnson and Caylin Woodward paced the Hawks against Howard with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. UMES tallied a season-high 17 aces against the Bison and Zoe Bowens recorded a career-high five. UMES limited Morgan State to a .000 hitting effieciency while four Hawks had at least six kills.

WOODWARD, ROMERO SWEEP WEEKLY MEAC HONORS Caylin Woodward and Bella Jade Romero won MEAC Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively for the week ending Oct. 25. Woodward recorded 22 kills and a .447 hitting percentage and Romero had 69 assists and 14 digs. It marked the first time that UMES earned both individual honors in the same week this season and is also the first time since Oct. 6, 2008 that the Hawks accomplished the feat.

HAWKS LEAD NATION IN ACES PER GAME UMES ranks first in NCAA Division I volleyball in aces per game at 2.24 through matches on Oct. 25. Freshman Karin Vikterlof is 12th individually at 0.51. The Hawks finished the 2007 season tops in the category at 2.8.

69 SERVICE ACES IN THE LAST SIX MATCHES The Hawks have totaled 69 service aces in their last six matches. UMES had 11 at Morgan State on Oct. 6, 13 at Delaware State on Oct. 11, 11 vs. Hampton on Oct. 16 and nine against Coppin State on Oct 18. The Hawks totaled a season-high 17 at Howard on Oct. 23 and another eight against MSU on Oct. 25. Only one other time this season did the Hawks record double-digit service aces (10 against Navy).

EIGHT-MATCH WINNING STREAK After losing two straight matches to Pittsburgh and Sacred Heart in late September, the Hawks have reeled off eight wins in a row. During the stretch, they have won 24-of-25 sets. The only set they lost was to Delaware State on Oct. 11. The Hawks have had more kills than their opponents in each of the eight matches.

ONLY THREE TEAMS IN THE MEAC WITH ... The Hawks are one of only three teams in the MEAC with a winning overall record (Delaware State, 15-11 and Florida A&M, 9-8).

PROTECTING THE HYTCHE CENTER The Hawks have a 17-1 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).

31 STRAIGHT MATCHES OVER THE MEAC The Hawks have won 31 straight regular-season matches over MEAC competition. In 2007, the Hawks won 11 regular-season matches over the MEAC, dropping just seven sets. Last season, the Hawks won 11 regular-season matches over the MEAC, winning all 33 sets. This season, the Hawks have won 21-of-22 sets over MEAC opponents.

WOODWARD TO PLAY 120TH MATCH VS. DSU Caylin Woodward is slated to play in her 120th career match Friday against Delaware State, a school record. Whitney Johnson will also play her 85th career match against the Hornets.

JOHNSON REACHES 1,000 CAREER KILLS Hawks senior Whitney Johnson reached 1,000 career kills with nine against La Salle on Sept. 12. With 239 total this season, Johnson has 1,173 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 HORNETS Delaware State comes into play on Friday on a four match winning streak after defeating Hampton, 3-0, on Oct. 25. The Hornets sit at 15-11 on the season with a 5-1 mark in MEAC play. Through matches played on Oct. 23, DSU is led by Cassandra Joyner with a .295 hitting percentage and 3.19 kills per game. Martina Ferrari is tops on the team in assits (444) and digs (324).

SCOUTING THE LADY PIRATES Hampton, which hosts Coppin State Friday prior to the date with UMES Sunday, is on a two-match losing skid and is 7-16 overall and 2-4 in conference. The Lady Pirates are second in the MEAC in opponents' hitting percentage (.180) and fourth in service aces per set at 1.80. Aaryn Harrison leads Hampton in kills with 185 this season, with Brittany Wynne leading the team in kills per game, averaging 2.53. Lina Cordoba has a .260 hitting percentage, while Ornela Cadavid has a .277 hitting percentage.

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 1382 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 774 assists on the season (10.30 per game). She has four 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 season. Sanda Dzile holds the UMES mark for assists in a single-season with 1,322 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 1,254 career digs and 1,075 career kills at UMES. 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.