Sept. 25, 2009

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PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team hosts the Hampton Inn Invitational at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center Saturday.

The event, UMES' last in-season tournament of the season, begins at 10 a.m. with a match between Norfolk State and Sacred Heart before the Hawks take the court at 2 p.m. to play SHU and NSU at 4:30 p.m.

Saturday's tournament will be the first at UMES since the Comfort Inn Classic at the Hytche Center Sept. 28-29, 2007. The Hawks went 4-0 to win the tournament with victories over Delaware State, Saint Francis (Pa.), Robert Morris and Norfolk State.

UMES comes into the weekend at 9-5 on the season after going 1-2 at the Pitt Blue and Gold Tournament last weekend. The Hawks' lone win came against Youngstown State, 3-2, on Sunday. Senior outside hitter Whitney Johnson (Prince Frederick, Md.) was named to the all-tournament team while fellow senior hitter Caylin Woodward (Garden Grove, Calif.) was the second Hawk in as many weeks to earn her 1,000th career kill.

The Hawks are 2-1 in their last three meetings with the Pioneers, defeating Sacred Heart, 3-1, on Sept. 23, 2007 and 3-0 on Sept. 27, 2003 on the road in Fairfield, Conn. UMES is unbeaten against Norfolk State since 2001 and is 14-0 in that span, including a sweep at the Delaware State Invitational earlier this season.

Sacred Heart enters the weekend at 7-6 on the season after defeat¬ing Central Connecticut State, 3-0, on Sept. 19. SHU has dropped five of its last seven matches under head coach Rob Machan.

The Pioneers are led by Brittany Best up front with 140 kills (3.18 per set). Defensively, Jessica Colberg has 210 digs and is averag¬ing 4.77 per set. Colberg is also one of two SHU players to hit .300-or-better to this point in the year. Johanna Ovesek leads the team in total blocks with 36, while Courtney Kidd-Kadlubek is tops in assists at 10.66 per set.

Norfolk State is 2-12 on the year under head coach Jennifer Fry with wins over Hampton (3-1) and Texas Southern (3-0).

Breanna Allums leads the team in kills per set at 1.81 and Nicole Kessner runs the offense, averaging 5.84 assists per set. Kristen Burt is the Spartans' top hitter at .364. Solange Honore averages 2.05 digs per set.

Follow all the tournament action with live stats, audio and video with Bret Lasky.