Aug. 27, 2010

University of Maryland Eastern Shore women's volleyball team open the 2010 season Friday at Hampton's Tiny Laster Memorial Tournament at Holland Hall.

The Hawks, who are coming off their third straight MEAC Northern Division title, play Towson at 3 p.m., Friday and then face conference foe South Carolina State at 6 p.m. UMES will battle Wofford (9 a.m.) and the host Lady Pirates (3 p.m.) Saturday.

UMES went 24-7 overall and 10-0 in the MEAC last season, losing just one game in conference on its way to the title game.

Towson leads the all-time series with UMES 9-1, dating back to 1986. The Hawks' only win in the series came that year, 2-1. The Tigers return five players, including seniors Britney Loomis and Shelynne Hoyt. Loomis had a team-high 225 kills last year and 30 service aces while Hoyt added 182 kills and 99 blocks. Evan Schulz registered 377 assists and 145 digs for the year while fellow sophomore Amanda Halls contributed 195 kills and 233 digs.

South Carolina State returns four starters from a team that went 13-20 in 2009. The Bulldogs will be lead by Jearne Gleaton who had 281 kills and 165 digs last season.

UMES topped Wofford twice, 3-0, last season in the Runnin' Bulldog Class, hosted by Gardner-Webb. The Terriers who went 18-14 last season, return three seniors, including Stacy Byrd. Byrd led the team in kills last year with 313 and a 2.93 kills per set average.

The Lady Pirates went 9-19 last season, finishing tied for third in the MEAC Northern Division with a 4-6 mark. Hampton is led by seniors Aaryn Harrison (2.30 kills per game in 2009) and Ivana Saput (3.91 digs per set).