Nov. 17, 2011
UMES Game Notes - MEAC Tournament
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BALTIMORE, Md. -- With an unblemished 12-0 conference record, the Hawks will head to the Physical Education Complex in Baltimore as the 1-seed from the Northern Division in the MEAC Tournament. UMES will face North Carolina Central in the first round at 1:00 p.m. If the Hawks win, they will face the winner of SCSU-Hampton on Saturday with the MEAC Championship on Sunday.
UMES EARNS MEAC ROOKIE, COACH OF THE YEAR
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference announced on Thursday that Saitaua Iosia was recognized as the conference Rookie of the Year, while Don Metil earned Coach of the Year. Iosia finished first in the MEAC in points and kills per set, with a .296 hitting percentage. Metil led the Hawks to a perfect conference record and fifth straight MEAC North title. Iosia was joined by Jessie Vicic on the All-MEAC First Team after leading the conference with 10.67 assists per set and 1,067 assists overall. Kaveinga Lea'Aetoa earned All-MEAC Second Team, going top-five in the conference in hitting percentage at .297 and 82 blocks.
VAITAI, IOSIA WIN MEAC WEEKLY AWARD
UMES swept the MEAC weekly awards this week: Maline Vaitai earned MEAC Player of the Week and Saitaua Iosia the league's top rookie. Vaitai, earning her fi rst weekly award, amassed 27 kills, 11 digs, four blocks and three aces. Iosia, getting her 10th MEAC weekly award, finished with 33 kills and 15 digs.
HAWKS FLYING HIGH ATOP THE MEAC
UMES leads the MEAC in five major categories: hitting percentage (.250), opponent's hitting percentage (.146), assists per set (11.66), kills per set (12.75) and blocks per set (2.33). The Hawks also stand at second in the MEAC and seventh in Division I in aces per set at 1.77.
PRADO MEMBER OF THE 1,000-DIG CLUB
On October 14th against Hampton, Rebecca Prado earned her 1,000th dig of her volleyball career. This season, the senior has started at libero for UMES every match this season, compiling 325 digs for 3.25 a set. Prado has compiled 751 digs in a Hawks uniform, in addition to the 319 she had at Wagner College in 2008, to total 1,070 in her career. Prado is also tied for third in the MEAC with four 20-dig matches.
BUZZ-"SA"
Saitaua Iosia, who has tallied double digit kills in all but one match this season, ranks first in the MEAC in points per set at 4.82, 51st in the country in that category, first in the MEAC and 34th in Division I in kills per set at 4.14, fourth in hitting % at .297 and fifth in the conference in aces per set at 0.39. She leads all conference freshmen in those categories. In 27 matches this year, Iosia has recorded 11 double-doubles.
IOSIA MEMBER OF 30-KILL CLUB
In UMES's five-set victory over Bryant during the Brown Invitational, Saitaua Iosia notched 30 kills, the highest number for a MEAC player in a single match this season, with just five errors for a hitting percentage of .424. Iosia has achieved the five highest kill totals for the Hawks this season, with 25 vs. CSU Bakersfield, 23 at Bryant, and two 21-kill matches.
VICIC LEADS MEAC 30-ASSIST CLUB
Freshman setter Jessie Vicic is atop the 30-assists club of the MEAC, getting above that mark in 23 matches. Her highest total came against Campbell in the High Point Invitational, notching 56 assists in five sets. She is first in the conference in assists per set at 10.67, totaling 1,067 in 100 sets, and is the only MEAC player that averages double digits in that category. She earned her 1,000th assist at home against Norfolk State.
177 ACES
UMES has earned 177 aces this season to be seventh in Division I. The team has four players in the top-250 in aces per set. Saitaua Iosia is 51st in the NCAA with 0.39 aces a game, totaling 39. Maline Vaitai and Jessie Vicic each has 31 aces, tying for 167th at 0.31 aces a set. 2011 NCAA aces per set leader Zoe Bowens has 29 aces, standing 202nd at 0.30 per set.
MIGHTY IN THE MIDDLE
The Hawks, the top blocking team in the MEAC with 233 total blocks in 100 sets to average 2.33 per set, are led by two players in the top-three in blocks in the conference. Ndidi Ibe averages 0.98 blocks a set with 97 total, adding 144 kills with a .311 hitting %, second in the MEAC. Kaveinga Lea'Aetoa is fifth in the MEAC in hitting % at .294 and third in blocks per set with 0.91, totaling 182 kills and 82 blocks.
SCOUTING THE (POSSIBLE) OPPONENTS:
North Carolina Central serves as the 4-seed from the MEAC South, going 5-5 in conference and 5-25 overall. The Hawks defeated the Eagles in three sets during the Hawk Invitational on October 1st. Freshman outside hitter Dayanna Arrufat, earning a team high 267 kills and 24 aces. Senior outside hitter Emanuelle Santos has 221 kills and 200 digs, while sophomore middle blocker Kalin Russell has 104 kills and 59 blocks.
South Carolina State is the MEAC South 2-seed after going 8-2 in league play, finishing with a 17-15 overall record and is the reigning conference champion. UMES and SCSU have not faced each other this season. Sophomore outside hitter Desire Waller sports 413 kills, 60 aces, 258 digs and 76 blocks, while teammate Shabree Roberson, junior middle blocker, leads the MEAC with 111 blocks and a .324 hitting %, adding 287 kills.
Hampton is in the MEAC Tournament for the first time since 2008, going as the 3-seed from the Northern Division with a 7-5 conference record and 12-13 finish. UMES is 2-0 against the Lady Pirates this year. Hampton's main offensive threat is freshman outside hitter Krista Kraskura, who has 236 kills and 224 digs. Senior Lihi Elkayam is Hampton's all-time assists leader, earning 549 this season with 17 aces and 109 digs.
PERFECT ROAD RECORD
The Hawks finished their road slate with an unblemished record over non-conference tournament hosts, defeating South Florida, Bryant, Brown and High Point, plus all six MEAC North opponents. In MEAC play, UMES played five straight matches on the road, going undefeated with a total set score of 15-1. UMES is the only MEAC team with a winning road record, standing at 10-0.
UMES HAWK INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONS
The Maroon and Grey finished non-conference play in strong fashion with three victories at home over Alabama State, North Carolina Central and CSU Bakersfield to win the UMES Hawk Invitational with a combined set score of 9-1. Saitaua Iosia was named the invitational's MVP while Maline Vaitai earned a place on the All-Tournament Team.
UMES WINS BROWN INVITATIONAL CO-CHAMPIONSHIP
For the second straight weekend, the Hawks were co-champions in a tournament in Rhode Island, taking a share of the title of the Brown Invitational with Brown after going 2-1. UMES defeated Bryant in a rematch and tournament host Brown in five sets while falling to Fordham 3-1. Saitaua Iosia and Kaveinga Lea'Aetoa were named to the All-Tournament Team.
UMES NAMED BRYANT INVITATIONAL CO-CHAMPION
The Hawks were named co-champion of the Bryant Invitational, going 2-1 over two days, sharing the title with defeated opponent Harvard. UMES came back from falling in the first set to defeat Bryant 3-1 to open on Friday. After a defeat against Holy Cross 3-0, the Hawks earned their first shutout victory of the season over the Crimson 3-0. Outside hitters Saitaua Iosia and Maline Vaitai were named to the All-Tournament Team.
METIL APPROACHING 200 WINS
Don Metil won his 100th match at UMES on September 30th with a shutout victory over Alabama State. With the Hawks, Metil sports a 114-38 record. He is just one win away from reaching 200 as a head coach dating back to 2002, including stops at Notre Dame (MD), Lees-McRae and Coppin State. Metil's first win in Division I came at Coppin State against UMES 3-2 on Sept. 25, 2005, while his fi rst UMES win came against Coppin State 3-0 on Aug. 24, 2007.
UMES 4TH LONGEST ACTIVE HOME WINNING STREAK
Winning their last 24 matches in Princess Anne, the Hawks have the 4th longest home winning streak in Division I. Their last loss in the Hytche Athletic Center came on Sept. 26, 2009 with a 3-0 defeat from Sacred Heart. In addition, this streak marks the longest in the MEAC. In their match against CSU Bakersfield on October 1st, UMES's 53-set winning streak at home ended.
Team Current Home Win Streak (as of 11/14)
1- Cincinnati 48
2- Nebraska 34
3- Texas 26
4- UMES 24
5- Furman 15
6- Hawaii 14
UMES MATCHES TO AIR ON WGOP
WGOP 540 AM and 100.7 FM is now the flagship station of Hawks volleyball and will air all matches live on the radio this year. Dave Vatz returns for his second season with UMES and will provide play-by-play for each match. Fans can listen online on umeshawks.com.
UMES PICKED TO FINISH FIRST IN MEAC NORTH
The Hawks were chosen to finish first in the MEAC Northern Division, receiving 21 of 26 first-place votes. UMES is currently the four-time defending MEAC North champion. Delaware State was picked to finished second to UMES, while Florida A&M is picked to finish first in the Southern Division over defending MEAC champion South Carolina State.
VAITAI NAMED COBRA ALL-PRESEASON THIRD TEAM
In their annual August preseason issue, COBRA Magazine named Maline Vaitai to the All-Preseason Third Team, being the only MEAC player to receive this honor. Last season, Vaitai along with Zoe Bowens and Samantha Chukwura received All-National Honorable Mention as well as All-East Region Team.
VAITAI NAMED MEAC PRESEASON POY
Sophomore outside hitter Maline Vaitai was named MEAC Preseason Player of the Year by the conference in August. Last season she earned MEAC Rookie of the Year after leading the conference in kills with 407, kills per set at 3.45, points with 476.5 and points per set at 4.04. In addition, senior outside hitter Zoe Bowens was also named to the MEAC Preseason Team with 350 kills and 79 aces in 2010.
