Box Score Nov. 1, 2015 Box Score
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - With a 3-1 (25-16, 21-25, 25-23, 25-22) victory over Coppin State and a loss by Hampton to Howard, the Hawks volleyball squad clinched a spot in the MEAC tournament in three weeks in their own backyard. The team improved to 18-6 (6-3 MEAC) in the process).
Coppin State, though defeated, also clinched a spot in the tournament by virtue of Hampton's loss. Therefore, Coppin and UMES will join Howard and Morgan State as the four teams who will represent the Northern Division here in Princess Anne the weekend of November 20th.
The Hawks were led by freshman Zuzana Ondruskova (Bilovec, Czech Republic) who tallied a double-double with 19 kills and 14 digs. She also added three block assists and an assists to her total. Another freshman, Lucia Babic (Sisak, Croatia) reached double digits in kills with 18 while converting an amazing 60.7% of her attacks.
Senior Petra Jerabkova (Prague, Czech Republic) averaged 10.5 assists per set with 42 total for the match, and freshman Marta Klafuric (Donja Lomnica, Croatia) helped out on the most blocks with six. Klafuric and senior Andjela Reljic (Novi Sad, Serbia) added two aces, while Reljic delivered 30 digs for her second 30 dig performance of the season.
UMES blazed out at the start, using a complete team effort to double up Coppin at the 14-7 mark. The Hawks led by as many by nine and would take the set by the same margin. In the second set, the Eagles fought back, leveling the match with a late surge to win by four.
The match would turn after the intermission in the third set. A tightly fought battle, the Eagles led by as many as four before the Hawks would comeback. Kills by Ondruskova and Babic leveled the set at 19. However, Coppin would gain the upper hand again, leading 23-21, poised to capture the set and boast an advantage in the match. But the hometown team stormed back, tying with a kill by freshman Rachel Kayongo (Northridge, Calif.) and a block by Kayongo and junior Haley Robinson (Honolulu, Hawaii). With Reljic at the service, the Eagles erred on the attack to give the Hawks a set point. An Ondruskova kill finished off the set, and helped the Hawks gain the upper hand.
In the fourth set the home team once again blazed out to a 6-2 lead. Though the Eagles would rally to tie, they would never lead, and a kill from Robinson and two aces by Jerabkova and sophomore Ashanti Price (Upper Marlboro, Md.) sealed the victory for the Hawks.
UMES hits the road for three matches, starting Friday at Norfolk State.
