Box Score Sept. 25, 2015 Box Score
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - Hoping to start off with a conference win while keeping their undefeated record at home intact, the UMES volleyball team played two vigorous sets against the Howard Bison, forcing extra time in both. However, the Bison were able to push through the valid Hawk attack, eventually capturing the match in three sets.
The Hawks fall to 11-3 (0-1 MEAC) while the Bison improve to 4-12 (1-0 MEAC).
Junior Haley Robinson (Honolulu, Hawaii) led the Hawks with 11 kills, and added seven digs and a block assist to her total. Sophomore Kirstin Fink (Tucson, Arizona) also enjoyed an all-around performance with nine kills, 21 assists, an ace, five digs and six blocking assists. Senior libero Andjela Reljic (Novi Sad, Serbia) led the defensive effort with 17 digs.
Faced with a large deficit early on in the first set, UMES stormed back with a run of their own, forcing a 20-20 tie after the 40th point. Three straight blocks by the Hawks from Fink, Robinson and sophomore Alana Polk (Houston, Texas) gave the home team a 23-21 lead. Howard would force the extra time and the team would play back and forth for a time. A Fink kill gave the Hawks a 30-29, but two attack errors on UMES and a Howard kill gave the Bison a 32-30 victory.
It would be the Hawks who blazed out to a lead at the midway point of the second set, but Howard would come back to seize a 23-21 advantage. Two Bison errors brought the Hawks back, and freshman Marta Klafuric (Donja Lomnica, Croatia) contributed a kill to force extra time. In a moment of dÃÆ'Æ'Æ'ÃÆ'ââ'¬Â '©jÃÆ'Æ'Æ'ÃÆ'ââ'¬Â ' vu, a Fink kill gave UMES a 30-29 edge, but a block and two kills from Howard gave them a 2-0 match lead.
Although close for half of the third set, Howard used a 12-5 run to complete the match sweep with a 25-18 victory.
For the Bison, Katherine Broussard totaled 20 kills to lead her team while earning a double-double with 11 digs. Khalia Donaldson also registered a double-double with 10 kills and 22 digs.
UMES stays in Princess Anne for the next two matches, starting with a 6:00p.m. Friday evening matchup with the Norfolk State Spartans. The team will then play Hampton 24 hours later on Saturday.
