NORFOLK, Virginia — In a heated battle against Norfolk State, senior Lucia Babic (Sisak, Croatia) registered 15 kills as the University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team hit .365, leading to a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-20, 25-23).

"Norfolk came to fight hard and we started all three sets down." Hawks coach Trevor Callarman. "But we showed a ton of adversity. We stayed the aggressor tonight - serving, passing and hitting the ball. We also ran the middles better. There's a still some defensive things to work on, but I feel we are hitting our peak at the right time."

Maryland Eastern Shore (8-14, 5-2 MEAC) also received eight kills from senior Rachel Kayongo (Northridge, California) who hit .400 for the match. Freshman Mauri Carver (Elizabeth City, North Carolina) went 4-for-5 to hit .800, junior Ivana Blazevic (Zagreb, Croatia) went 2-for-5 to hit .400 and junior Lidia Chery (Garfield, New Jersey) hit 3-1-6 to finish at .333.

The Hawks were also impressive with blocking, earning six to the Spartans one. Freshman Alexis Lee (Wilmington, Delaware) led with three assists. Carver, Blazevic, Chery and sophomore Sola Okesanjo (Chicago, Illinois) added two assists.

"This week we focused a lot on the middles and the connection with the setter." Carver said. "Everything just felt a lot better tonight, and that helped me get into a rhythm."

Senior Koya Sowells (Missouri City, Texas) finished with a match high 12 digs.

Norfolk State (3-16, 2-6 MEAC) nearly matched the Hawks in kills with 34, which helped them keep the sets close. The Spartans were the first to rally in each of the first two sets, requiring The Shore to comeback. Anna Rupertova led Norfolk in kills with 10, and Taylor Eichelberger added a match best four aces.

"We battled back by being more aggressive." Babic said. "Our hitting got better and it helped us win."

The victory, coupled with the Norfolk State loss, gives the Hawks a berth in the 2018 MEAC Championship at Howard. The next three matches against Howard (Nov. 4), Coppin State (Nov. 9) and Morgan State (Nov. 11) will determine seeding.

"As a freshman it's very exciting to make the tournament." Carver said. "The biggest thing is to keep pushing and to know that we are not done yet! We are going to work to get the championship we want."

First serve in the Howard match is set for 3 p.m. Sunday at Burr Gymnasium in Washington.