Final Stats

NORFOLK, Va. - With just three games remaining on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore's schedule this year, the Hawks are playing for pride while attempting to add a couple more victories before the season is complete. They got off to a good start Friday night with their four set win over the Norfolk State Spartans on the road in Echols Hall. The Hawks improve to 11-16 and 4-7 in the MEAC while the Spartans fall to 1-22 and 1-10 in the MEAC.

Two UMES players registered 10 kills on the night, junior Ashley Smith (Huntley, Ill.) and freshman Kirstin Fink (Tucson, Ariz.). Fink also led in attack percentage at .231, while fellow freshman Alana Polk (Houston, Tex.) went 7-for-22 with two errors to finish at .227. Sophomore Allison Woods (Magnolia, Tex.) led with 15 digs, and Smith along with sophomore Precious Manu (Carson, Calif.) tallied 13 digs each. Four Hawks contributed an ace-Smith, Fink, Manu and sophomore Sonia Rosales (Victorville, Calif.).

Tori Tulensru led the Spartans with a game-high 13 kills and Angie Darcus also put up double figures with 10. Norfolk State libero Noelle Eagles also earned a game-high with 20 digs.

After dropping the first set by a 25-21 final, UMES would flip the script to win sets two and three by their own 25-21 margins. The Hawks grabbed the lead in set two at 4-3 and only allowed Norfolk State to take the lead once from there. A Fink kill tied the match at 15, and UMES succeeded in capping off the set on a 10-6 run with a kill by senior Lauren Berry (Bloomington, Ill.) and a Rosales ace.

Set three saw the Spartans take slim leads at the beginning of the set with the Hawks rebounding before the midway mark. When Norfolk State pulled within one at 12-11, a kill by senior Ksenia Sukhareva (Moscow, Russia) pushed the UMES lead back up to two. The advantage would grow as high as six points before the Spartans almost closed the gap again at 23-21. However, two straight blocks, both assisted by Polk gave another 25-21 decision to the Hawks.

Fueled by the momentum of two straight set wins, UMES took a commanding lead through the middle part of set four. Successful attacks combined with the home team's errors turned a narrow 7-6 Hawks lead into a 20-9 decisive advantage. Undeterred, the Spartans made a valiant comeback by rattling off four straight points, closing the gap to seven. It would take kills by Berry and Smith to finish off Norfolk State and give the Hawks a 3-1 match win.

The final road game of the 2014 season will take place on the campus of Hampton University in a 3:00p.m. Sunday matchup versus the top seeded Lady Pirates.