Nov. 1, 2009

Box Score

HAMPTON, Va. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team secured its third consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Northern Division title with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-15) win over Hampton at Holland Hall Sunday.

With the victory, UMES (19-6, 8-0 MEAC) remained unbeaten in the conference and won its 10th straight match, a feat the Hawks had not completed since Sept. 20 through Oct. 2, 2009.

Sophomore Christine Edwards (Lakewood, Calif.) led the way with 11 kills and 15 attacks for the Hawks, who had a season-high .453 hitting percentage (37 kills, 64 attacks, eight errors). UMES held the Lady Pirates (8-17, 3-5) to .077 from the floor.

Freshman Karin Vikterlof (Orebro, Sweden) recorded a match-high 15 digs as UMES outdug Hampton, 24-16, on the day. The Hawks also won the blocking battle, 2.5-1.0, and had four more aces (7-3) than the hosts.

Senior Caylin Woodward (Garden Grove, Calif.) followed up her triple-double against Delaware State Friday with nine kills, three digs, two assists and one ace.

Freshman Bella Jade Romero (Arlington Texas) had 22 of UMES' 32 assists for the match.

UMES hit a match-best .533 with nine kills and one error on 15 attacks in the first game. Woodward gave the Hawks a 17-7 lead on a kill assisted by Romero, before running off eight of the final 14 points of the game.

Hampton posted a match-low -.077 hitting efficiency in the opening game.

UMES went on a 9-0 run after surrendering the first point of the second game. Redshirt junior Samantha Chukwura (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the charge with a pair of kills while the Lady Pirates chipped in with four errors.

Senior Whitney Johnson's (Prince Frederick, Md.) gave UMES its largest lead of the game at 22-9 as the Hawks cruised to the win with kills by Woodward and Edwards as well as two Lady Pirates' errors.

Another Johnson ace put UMES up by four at 10-6 in the third and final game prior to a HU timeout. The Hawks didn't look aback the rest of the way as senior Thonya Joseph (Bridgetown, Barbados) capped the match with a killed assisted by freshman Chelsea Myers (Salina, Kan.).

Aaryn Harrison had a team-leading five kills for Hampton while Ivana Saput (10) and Lihi Elkayam (13) were tops on the team in digs and assists, respectively.

UMES returns home to take on Coppin State Friday (Nov. 6) at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center at 7 p.m.