Oct. 29, 2010
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PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore women's volleyball team (17-9), with a 16-2 record in its last 18, hits the road for the second consecutive weekend to play at Delaware State and Hampton Friday and Sunday, respectively. UMES handed the Hornets their only conference loss of the season on Oct. 10, 3-0, at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center and has beaten Hampton three times this season, dropping just one game.
UMES HAS NCAA'S TOP CONFERENCE WINNING STREAK UMES comes into play this weekend with the nation's longest conference winning streak at 36 matches. The Hawks lost their final MEAC contest of the 2006 campaign and haven't dropped one since. UMES tops the list which includes Hawai'i (33), Central Arkansas (32) Lipscomb (30), Northern Iowa (29), Tulsa (19) and Nebraska (18).
UMES BOASTS 13TH IN NCAA IN HOME WINNING STREAK UMES has won 14 consecutive matches at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center, which ranks 13th nationally. Three-time defending NCAA Champion Penn State tops the list, as of Oct. 24, having won 84 straight at home. Cincinnati is a distant second (38), followed by Central Arkansas (26) and Lipscomb (23). Dayton rounds out the top-5 with 21 straight home wins.
UMES LEADS NATION IN ACES PER GAME As of Oct. 24, UMES leads the NCAA in aces per game, averaging 2.20. 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 year versus North Carolina A&T (Oct. 2) and South Carolina State (Sept. 25).
CHUKWURA 11TH IN NCAA IN HITTING PERCENTAGE Redshirt senior Samantha Chukwura is currently 11th nationally in hitting percentage at a .409 clip. She's totaled 185 kills in 357 attacks with just 39 errors on the season.
HAWKS HOT IN LAST 18 MATCHES Over UMES' last 18 matches, a stretch where the team is 16-2, the Hawks are averaging 12.3 kills per game, a .256 hitting percentage, 11.3 assists and 10.9 digs per game. The Hawks are also averaging an astounding 2.7 service aces per game. UMES is 13-1 in three-set matches in the streak and is holding its opposition to a .146 hitting percentage as well.
SERIES HISTORY Delaware State leads the series with its Delmarva neighbor, 38- 31, but UMES is 20-1 since 2002. The Hawks have won the last 12 against the Hornets. DSU last topped UMES, 3-0, on Oct. 28, 2005 at Memorial Hall in Dover, Del. Hampton leads the all-time series with UMES, 26-21, since 1981, but the Hawks have won the last 11, including a three this season The Hawks last loss to HU came in 2005.
SCOUTING DELAWARE STATE Delaware State comes into Friday's match at 11-10 overall on the season and second in the MEAC North at 4-1 in conference. The Hornets are led offensively by Erica Tajchman with a 2.49 kills per game average. Defensively, DSU gets 2.51 digs per game from Sarah Weatcroft and 0.83 blocks per game from Brooke Redman. Martina Ferrari averages 8.95 assists per game, as well. Renee Arnold in her seventh season at Delaware State.
SCOUTING HAMPTON Hampton comes into the weekend with a record of 6-18 and 2-2 in the MEAC.Aaryn Harrison leads the Lady Pirates, averaging 2.71 per game. Lihi Elkayam averages 7.05 per set while Ivanna Suput leads HU in digs averaging 3.47. Pedro Gonzalez is in his fourth season as head coach.
UMES 259 IN CURRENT RPI RANKINGS UMES is ranked 259th in the latest 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 26 matches, freshman outside hitter Maline Vaitai is first in the MEAC in points (3.94) and kills (3.31) per game. She is also second in the league in aces per game at 0.41. Vaitai's 21 kills at Morgan State on Oct. 24 marked the fifth most in a single match in the MEAC this 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 (0.67), second in points per game (3.84) and fouth in kills per game (3.02).
KAVE MAKING PRESENCE FELT AT NET Freshman middle blocker Kaveinga Lea'Aetoa is leading the UMES block this season with 54 total through 26 matches (0.64 per game). the 5-foot-11 Salt Lake City, Utah native has 43 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. She is also third in the conference in hitting percentage out of the middle, hitting .274.
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 29-1 in their last 30 matches inside the friendly confines 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 deciding 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 ninr statistical categories. As a team, the Hawks lead the conference in hitting percentage (.225), assists (10.61), kills (11.72) and service aces per game (2.20), while Samantha Chukwura is tops in hitting percentage (.409) and Zoe Bowens leads in aces per game (0.67). Stephanie Sierra is tops in assists per game at 9.01. Maline Vaitai leads in kills (3.31) and points (3.94) per game.
QUEENS OF THE MEAC Maline Vaitai leads all MEAC freshman in kills per game (3.31) and points per game (3.94) and Kaveinga Lea'Aetoa leads in hitting percentage (.252). Stephanie Sierra leads conference sophomores in assists per game (9.01) while Zoe Bowens is tops in aces per game (0.67) and points per game (3.84) for juniors. Samantha Chukwura is tops in the league in hitting percentage (.409) 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.
