Oct. 15, 2010
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PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore women's volleyball team (13-9), with a 10-2 record in its last 14, continues its eight-match homestand, while playing Hampton to kickoff Hawk Hysteria on Friday and Coppin State on Saturday.
HAWKS OPEN MEAC WITH SWEEPS OF MSU, DSU UMES started defense of its MEAC Northern Division crown with sweeps over Morgan State and Delaware State. With the win over the Lady Bears, UMES improved to 7-2 in its last nine MEAC openers since 2002.]
BOWENS PICKS UP FIRST CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE It took 87 matches over three seasons, but junior Zoe Bowens finally recorded the first double-double of her career Sunday against Delaware State. Bowens earned the Hawks' 11th double-double of the season with 13 kills and 11 digs in the three-set win.
HAWKS HOT IN LAST 14 MATCHES Over UMES' last 14 matches, a stretch where the team is 12-2, the Hawks are averaging 12.0 kills per game, a .251 hitting percentage, 10.67 assists and 10.8 digs per game. The Hawks are also averaging 11.0 digs per game while recording a astounding 2.60 service aces per game. UMES is 9-1 in three-set matches in the streak. UMES is holding its opposition to a .154 hitting percentage as well.
UMES SECOND IN COUNTRY IN ACES PER GAME As of Oct. 10, UMES is second in the NCAA in aces per game, averaging 2.05. The Hawks finished first in the category last season (2.54) and in 2007 (2.84). As a team, the Hawks totaled a season-high 15 aces twice this season (North Carolina A&T (Oct. 2) and South Carolina State (Sept. 25).
UMES TIED FOR 16TH IN NCAA IN HOME WINNING STREAK UMES has won 11 consecutive matches at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center, which ranks in a tie for 16th nationally with California and Delaware. Three-time defending NCAA Champion Penn State tops the list, as of Oct. 13, having won 82 straight at home. Cincinnati is a distant second (36), followed by Central Arkansas (25) and Lipscomb (22). Dayton rounds out the top-5 with 19 straight home wins. A complete list in located on page 6 of this release.
SERIES HISTORY Hampton leads the all-time series with UMES, 21-26, since 1981, but the Hawks have won the last 10, including a pair this season at Hampton (Aug. 28) and at the NCCU Tournament in Durham, N.C. (Sept. 24). The Hawks last loss to HU came in 2005. UMES holds a commanding 45-7 series lead against Coppin State since 1989. UMES has won eight in a row against the Eagles with its last loss also in the 2005 season when current UMES coach Don Metil was the head man at CSU.
SCOUTING HAMPTON Hampton comes into the weekend with a 5-17 and 1-1 in the MEAC, sitting in a tie for second with Delaware State, Howard and Morgan State. The Lady Pirates are led offensively Aaryn Harrison averaging 2.67 kills per game while Lihi Elkayam is the team's top setter at 7.02 assists per game. Defensively, Ivana Saput is tops on the team in digs, averaging 3.35 per game. Hampton is coached by Pedro Gonzalez in his fourth season at the school.
SCOUTING COPPIN STATE Coppin State comes into the weekend at 3-15 overall and 0-2 in conference. The Eagles are led by Ashley Saunders with a 2.52 kills and 2.61 digs per game average. Haley Beechler is the team's top setter, averaging 5.92 assists. Romozo Beans is in he=is third season as head coach.
UMES 277 IN FIRST RPI OF 2010 UMES is ranked 266 in the second Ratings Percentage Index of the season. The RPI is a tool used by the NCAA to help determine the field for the NCAA Tournament.
BOWENS NORTH/SOUTH MVP; FROSH ALL-TOURNEY Junior Zoe Bowens was named MVP of the Peaky's North/South UMES Invitational and freshmen Lea'Aetoa and Vaitai earned all-tournament honors last weekend. Bowens hit .423 for the week, totaling 35 kills (3.89 kills per game) on 71 attacks with just five errors. She also had nine digs, eight service aces, one assist and one block assist. Bowens averaged and 0.89 aces per game. Vaitai registered tallied 25 kills, 19 digs, averaging 2.78 kills and 2.11 digs per game with a .215 (25-11-65) attack percentage. Lea'Aetoa hit .333 (21-7-42) and had 2.33 kills per game.
LEA'AETOA, CHUKWURA NAMED NAVY ALL-TOURNEY Freshman Kaveinga Lea'Aetoa and redshirt senior Samantha Chukwura grabbed Kristin Dickmann Memorial Tournament All-Tournament Team nods for their performances in the Sept.17-18 event. Lea'Aetoa finished the weekend with a .315 hitting percentage, 3.31 kills per game and 1.08 blocks per game. Chukwura countered with a .368 efficiency and 2.31 kills per game.
LEA'AETOA MEAC'S TOP ROOKIE (SEPT. 20) Kaveinga Lea'Aetoa was named MEAC Rookie of the Week after helping the Hawks to a 2-1 mark at the Kristin Dickmann Memorial Tournament at Navy. Lea'Aetoa was one of two Hawks named to the all-tournament team as she tallied 43 kills (3.31 per game) and a .315 hitting percentage in three matches. She also had 13 total blocks (1.08 per game), seven digs and two aces. Lea'Aetoa's top singlematch effort came in a five-set loss to Hartford, when she registered 17 kills, four total blocks, four digs while hitting .382.
BOWENS, CHUKWURA NAMED ALL-TOURNEY AT URI Redshirt senior Samantha Chukwura and junior Zoe Bowens were named to the Art Carmichael URI Volleyball Invitational All-Tournament Team Sept. 11. Chukwura hit a team-best .417 (25 kills, five errors, 48 total attacks) with 1.92 kills per game. She also totaled four block assists and four digs. Bowens recorded 35 kills, 11 digs and six aces on the weekend. She posted a 2.69 kills per game average and hit .222 (35-13-99).
BOWENS NORTH/SOUTH MVP; FROSH ALL-TOURNEY Junior Zoe Bowens was named MVP of the Peaky's North/South UMES Invitational and freshmen Lea'Aetoa and Vaitai earned all-tournament honors last weekend. Bowens hit .423 for the week, totaling 35 kills (3.89 kills per game) on 71 attacks with just five errors. She also had nine digs, eight service aces, one assist and one block assist. Bowens averaged and 0.89 aces per game. Vaitai registered tallied 25 kills, 19 digs, averaging 2.78 kills and 2.11 digs per game with a .215 (25-11-65) attack percentage. Lea'Aetoa hit .333 (21-7-42) and had 2.33 kills per game.
BOWENS, VAITAI SWEEP MEAC HONORS (SEPT. 13) Junior Zoe Bowens and freshman Maline Vaitai were named MEAC Player and Rookie of the Week, Sept. 13. Bowens tallied 35 kills (2.69 per game) and a .222 hitting percentage in three matches. Bowens also had 11 digs and six aces. Bowens top single-match effort came in a five-set loss to URI, when she registered 16 kills six digs and three aces while hitting .222. Vaitai had 40 kills 15 digs, six aces and 1.5 blocks. Her best performance was against the Rams. Vaitai had 18 kills, six digs and two aces. The weekly honors were the first two earned by the volleyball team this season.
BOWENS NAMED FIESTA BOWL ALL-TOURNAMENT Junior outside hitter was named to the Fiesta Bowl Volleyball Tournament All-Tournament Team last weekend. The 5-foot-11 Long Beach, Calif., native had a .191 attack percentage with 3.30 kills per game in losses to Rider, Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Northern Arizona. Bowens tied for the match high with 12 kills against Rider and collected a team-high 10 against NAU.
VAITAI NAMED HAMPTON ALL-TOURNAMENT Freshman outside hitter Maline Vaitai was the only UMES player to be named to the Tiny Laster Memorial Tournament All-Tournament Team on Aug. 29. The 6-footer averaged 3.22 kills and 1.72 digs per game for the Hawks. Her best performance came in her first collegiate match against Towson. Vaitai tallied 19 kills, five digs, four block assists and an ace while hitting .182.
VAITAI MAKING AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT Through 22 matches, freshman outside hitter Maline Vaitai is second in the MEAC in aces per game at 0.39. She is also third in the league in points (3.63)and kills (3.03) per game. Vaitai's 19 kills in the opening match of the season against Towson at Hampton's Tiny Laster Invitational were the fifth most in a MEAC match to this point in the season.
BOWENS STEPPING UP FOR YOUNG HAWKS With just four upperclassmen - three with significant experience at the Division I level - junior Zoe Bowens has been called upon to bring UMES leadership in 2010. Thus far, she is doing just that. Bowens is first in the MEAC in service aces per game (0.56) and points per game (3.76) and second in kills per game (3.08).
KAVE MAKING PRESENCE FELT AT NET Freshman middle blocker Kaveinga Lea'Aetoa is leading the UMES block this season with 42 total through 22 matches (0.60 per game). the 5-foot-11 Salt Lake City, Utah native has 36 block assists and two of the top-5 single-match block totals in the MEAC this season. Lea'Aetoa swatted eight attacks at Navy in a five-set win on Sept. 18 and six more in a five-set loss to Wofford on Aug. 28.
2009: TIED FOR THIRD MOST WINS EVER The 2009 Hawks won 24 total matches, which tied for the third highest win total in school history. The 2003 team won 26 matches, 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 singleseason record for kills with 644 in 2003.
UMES LED NCAA IN ACES PER GAME in 2009 For the second time in head coach Don Metil's tenure, UMES led NCAA in aces per game with 2.54. The Hawks also took the individual statistical crown in the 2007 season with a 2.84 per game average.The Hawks had two players (both of whom did not return to this year's squad) place in the top-9 individually in aces per game.
BOWENS, VAITAI SWEEP MEAC WEEKLY HONORS Zoe Bowens and Maline Vaitai were named MEAC Co-Player and Rookie of the Week after helping UMES win the Peaky's North/South UMES Invitational. The weekly honors are the sixth and seventh of the season for the team. UMES has swept the accolade for the third time this year.
PROTECTING THE HYTCHE CENTER The Hawks are 28-1 in their last 29 matches inside the friendly confones of the William P. Hytche Athletic Center. UMES lost to Sacred Heart in its home opener last season to mark head coach Don Metil's first home loss at UMES.
CHUKWURKA LED MEAC, 8th IN NCAA IN HITTING Redshirt senior middle blocker Samanatha Chukwura led the MEAC with a .397 hitting percentage, finishing eighth in the country. The 5-foot-9 Brooklyn, N.Y., native tallied 186 kills and just 47 errors in 350 total attacks. Chukwura is currently leading the MEAC in hitting percentage at .380 (135-31-274) and is 30th in the country.
KAVE ERROR-FREE AGAINST HAMPTON Freshman middle blocker Kaveinga Lea'Aetoa did not commit a single attacking error in the Hawks' 3-1 victory over Hampton Sept. 24 at the NCCU Tournament. Lea'Aetoa tallied a match-high 15 kills on just 23 attempts to register a .652 hitting percentage, the best single- match mark in the MEAC this season. It wasn't the first time this year that Lea'Aetoa went errorless, though. She had nine kills with no errors on 14 attempts versus New Hampshire in a five-set win at Rhode Island on Sept. 11. It was revenge of sorts for Lea'Aetoa as she was recruited to play for the Wildcats, among other schools, before to attend UMES.
HAWKS PLAY MOST FIVE-SETTERS UNDER METIL In just 13 matches this season, UMES has already played more fiveset matches (seven) than in any of head coach Don Metil's first three seasons at UMES. The Hawks are 2-5 when matches go the distance in 2010. UMES played just two five-setters last season (1-1) and four in 2008 (1-3). In 2007, Metil's first season, the Hawks played six fivesetters and were 5-1 on those occasions.
LEADING THE MEAC UMES leads the MEAC in five statistical categories after the seventh week of the season. As a team, the Hawks lead the conference in hitting percentage (.215) and service aces per game (2.08), while junior Zoe Bowens is tops in aces per game (0.56) and points per game at 3.76 while Samantha Chukwura is tops in the league in hitting percenatge at .380.
QUEENS OF THE MEAC Maline Vaitai leads all MEAC freshman in kills per game (3.03), aces per game (0.39) and points per game (3.63) and Kaveinga Lea'Aetoa leads in hitting percentage (.274). Stephanie Sierra leads conference sophomores in assists per game (8.40) while Zoe Bowens is tops in aces per game (0.56) and points per game (3.80) for juniors. Samantha Chukwura is tops in the league in hitting percentage (.380) for seniors, as well.
UMES PICKED TO WIN MEAC NORTH AGAIN On July 21, UMES was chosen to win the MEAC Northern Division for the third straight time since the conference began divisional play in 2008. The Hawks garnered 20 of 22 first-place votes and 258 total points in the preseason poll, voted on by conference head coaches and sports information directors. Florida A&M was tabbed to win the south again with 18 first-place votes and 251 points.
HAWKS GET THREE ON PRESEASON ALL-MEAC TEAM Redshirt senior middle blocker Samantha Chukwura, junior outside hitter Christine Edwards and sophomore setter Bella Jade Romero were named to the 2010 Preseason All-MEAC Volleyball Team prior to the season. UMES was the only school in the conference to have three players named to the team. Edwards and Romero also earned Second Team All-MEAC and MEAC Rookie of the Year honors in 2009, respectively, but were dismissed from the team in preseason workouts for disciplinary reasons.
METIL EARNS SECOND MEAC COACH OF YEAR HONOR Hawks' fourth-year head coach Don Metil was named MEAC Coach of Year for the second time in his time at UMES at the end of last season. Metil, who also coached for two years at conference rival Coppin State prior to coming to Princess Anne, Md., holds a 73- 23 (.760) mark. Metil has also yet to lose a conference match in his tenure, going 30-0.
