Box Score Nov. 13, 2015 Box Score
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - As the sun sets on the regular season the Hawks volleyball team will take plenty of momentum into their postseason play. That's because after they honored four outgoing seniors, the players from Princess Anne earned a decisive 3-1 (25-23, 25-7, 19-25, 25-11) victory over the Norfolk State Spartans at the Hytche Center Friday night.
The win gives the Hawks a 22-6 record (9-3 MEAC) to close out the year. Norfolk State finishes their campaign at 4-21 (3-9 MEAC).
Seniors that were honored prior to the start of the match included student assistant Amanda Hanson along with setter Petra Jerabkova, outside hitter Ashley Smith and libero Andjela Reljic. Each one was given a warm reception by the Hawks faithful, their teammates and head coach Toby Rens.
Norfolk State-perhaps looking to spoil the party-led early in the first set, and were up as much as six thru the 20th point. That didn't stop the Hawks and slowly but surely the hometown team climbed back, eventually tying things at 19. Both teams traded off kills with sophomore Kirstin Fink (Tucson, Ariz.) and freshman Zuzana Ondruskova (Bilovec, Czech Republic) keeping the Hawks ahead. Two final blows by Ondruskova were enough to give UMES a two point victory and a 1-0 lead.
The momentum stuck with the Hawks in the next set as the team slowly built a five point lead early. After a kill from freshman Lucia Babic (Sisak, Croatia), the team went on a remarkable tear, winning the next ten points. A 14-1 run gave the Hytche hitters a nice 2-0 cushion going into the break.
However, the Spartans did not take the second set lying down. Though play in the third set was close early, Norfolk State always found a way to stay ahead. A late run would give them the breath of fresh air they wanted, as the visitors fired home a six point win to force a fourth set.
To ensure that a fifth set was not necessary, the Hawks went on an even more exceptional run following the third point in set four. Two kills from Babic sandwiched a kill from freshman Marta Klafuric (Donja Lomnica, Croatia) forced a Spartan timeout. That timeout did not slow things down, as the Hawks recorded kills, blocks and aces to push the lead as high as 12-1. The Hawks would get the lead as high as 14 points and kept it there, ultimately winning the match with a 25-11 decision.
Babic was the team leader in kills with 16 while Ondruskova reached double figures with 12. Three players also reached double figures in digs, with the libero Reljic leading the way with 17, followed by Jerabkova with 11 and Smith with 10. Fink delivered a solo block and four assists, earning a spot in over half the team's blocks. Ondruskova's four aces led the team, but overall the Hawks earned ten. UMES hit .312 for the match against Norfolk State's average of .128.
Angie Darcus paced the Spartans with 15 kills, and three players delivered eight digs a piece for Norfolk State.
The Hawks will now have a chance to rest up before hosting the 2015 MEAC Volleyball Championship. UMES will be the #3 seed out of the Northern Division and is projected to play Florida A&M Friday at ten in the morning.
