DOVER, Del. - In what looks to be a challenging MEAC Northern Division, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) learned early on that winless Delaware State would be no pushover. The Hornets would capture the first set and second sets and looked like they would cruise to an easy victory. However the Hawks buckled down and finished off a dramatic three set comeback to defeat the Hornets in five sets. The Hawks improved their record to 8-7 and 1-0 in the MEAC while the Hornets dropped to 0-10.

Facing the 2-0 set deficit, UMES needed to pull out all the stops in order to win. A tight set early, the Hawks would launch a rally previously unseen to that point in the match. With the score at 12-11 UMES, an 8-3 run by the Hawks would prove decisive for keeping their hopes of a first MEAC win alive. A kill by senior Ksenia Sukhareva (Moscow, Russia) would finish off the Hornets and stave off a loss by a 25-16 score. The set would prove the be the boost UMES would need to win the match.

Prior to the third set, however, the first two sets ended up being intensely fought battles with DSU emerging victorious narrowly in both sets. A seesaw battle saw the Hornets with the early edge in set one. Delaware State kept a slight advantage thru the midway point and built up a five point lead at 18-13 before UMES put together a rally. Junior Ashley Smith (Huntley, Ill.) supplied a kill and two blocks from the Hawks tied the score up at 18 all. The teams would battle back and forth once again, trading off points until the very end of the set. With the Hawks forcing extra time, the Hornets benefited from a service error and used a kill by Jasmine Jackson to win the set, 26-24.

It would be the Hawks who would storm out early in set two, using kills by sophomore Sonia Rosales (Victorville, Calif.) and freshman Kirstin Fink (Tucson, Ariz.) to take the lead. DSU would tie the set up before UMES reopened a four point lead at 15-11. The set would continue DSU rallying to force a close match with UMES surging ahead again until a tie at 18. DSU would then take the charge earning three straight points at 21-18. Despite the Hawks rallying again to force extra time again, a 26-24 set final would go the Hornets way.

Set four wound up tied at the midway point with the Hornets seeking to avoid the fifth set and put UMES away for good. Two early runs by the Hawks did not settle the affair, as DSU rallied to force three separate ties. With the score tied at 17, Sukhareva took charge of the serve and delivered a kill to push the Hawks' lead to three. For the fourth time, the Hornets would drive back to re-tie to match. However, the Hawks would not give away to game so easily as they held DSU in check to win, 25-23, to earn the right to play a fifth set.

In the final set, UMES would fend off DSU's early serve to earn a 5-2 lead with an ace by Sukhareva and a kill by Smith. But the Hornets would prove to be the worthy adversaries they had been all match long by closing the gap to 8-6 at the change of courts. They would eventually tie at match at ten before UMES called a timeout. The set would stay back and forth to tie it at 13. Needing extra time to decide it, the Hawks would complete the comeback used kills by Sukhareva and Smith to finish off the Hornets by a 16-14, winning the match three sets to two.

Statistically, Sukhareva led the Hawks will 20 kills, and also tied with Rosales for the most aces at two. Sophomore Allison Woods (Magnolia, Tex.) narrowly led in digs with 16 as Sukhareva and Smith were right behind in that category with 15 and 14, respectively. The Hawks beat out the Hornets in attacking percentage at .230 over .122, and also took assists by a 58-44 margin

Non-conference foe American awaits the Hawks on Wednesday. Match time is scheduled for 7pm.