Nov. 21, 2009
Box Score
BALTIMORE, Md. - Sophomore Christine Edwards (Lakewood, Calif.) registered 12 kills and redshirt junior Samantha Chukwura (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the way with an .800 hitting percentage as No. 1 seeded University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team dispatched Bethune-Cookman, 3-0 (25-10, 25-21, 25-20), in the semifinals of the MEAC Championship at the Coppin Center on the campus of Coppin State.
With the win, UMES' 15th in a row, the Hawks (24-6) move on to face Florida A&M, which defeated Delaware State in the other semifinal. UMES and Florida A&M will meet in the conference championship game Sunday at noon. The two square off for the right to go to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. The match will air on ESPNU on a tape-delayed basis at 10 p.m.
UMES outhit Bethune-Cookman, .270-.043, holding its fourth straight opponent to under a .100 efficiency.
"I thought we went out with aggression and played pretty much a flawless first set which set the tone for the entire match," said UMES head coach Don Metil.
The Hawks tallied 41 kills and 14 errors while the Wildcats countered with 21 kills and 17 errors. UMES also outdug Bethune, 44-33, and outserved B-CU with 10 aces to just four for Wildcats.
Senior Whitney Johnson (Prince Frederick, Md.) had nine kills and Chukwura chipped in with eight. Senior Caylin Woodward (Garden Grove, Calif.) posted a match-best nine digs while freshman Bella Jade Romero (Arlington, Texas) had match bests of 38 assists, four aces and also had eight digs.
The Hawks quickly built a 10-5 lead in the first game of the match with the help of four aces from Woodward, Edwards and Romero as B-CU called timeout. The Hawks then ran off 15 of the next 20 points, including six in a row from 15-9 to 21-9, to take the game.
The second game was a closer with five ties and just one lead change. Tied, 5-5, the Hawks went on a 5-0 run and never looked back. Edwards and Woodward had kills in the stretch along with three B-CU errors.
The Wildcats scored three straight points to cut it to 24-21 before Johnson closed the game.
The third game, again, was tight. At 16-15, UMES began a 3-0 run with two B-CU errors and a Johnson kill that gave the Hawks breathing room and eventually the win.
Kaiyana Johnson led the Wildcats with six kills. Jessica Wilson and Shakhea Moore-Hagins each had a team-high seven digs while Daryl Rodriguez had nine of Bethune's 17 assists.
