PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — As the calendar gets set to turn to November, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team will play in a pair of important conference matches this weekend. The Hawks are at South Carolina State on Friday (October 29) and at North Carolina Central on Sunday (October 31).
"This weekend is about us establishing who we want to be for the remainder of the season," head coach Trevor Callarman said. "We have two good opponents and we have to play a complete match in both of them."
Friday's match with SC State has a first serve time of 6 p.m. The Hawks swept the Bulldogs back on October 8 inside the Hytche Center. Sophomore Maya Hendricks had 12 kills in that contest, while senior Mauri Carver and this week's MEAC Rookie of the Week Charlize Williams each had three blocks.
"Our game with SC State is about being consistent," Callarman said. "Going into a match as the favorite is not always easy because you can fall into a trap and we want to avoid that by being focused on the task at hand."
Eastern Shore's match with NC Central on Sunday will begin at 1 p.m. In the first matchup on October 10, The Shore won in straight sets. The contest was a chippy one in Princess Anne despite the sweep from the Hawks. Each set saw the score stay close before Maryland Eastern Shore would eventually pull away. Senior Marina Cruz led the way that day with 12 kills.
Sunday's match also holds strong implications in regards to seeding for the MEAC Tournament that begins on November 19. The Shore and NCCU are tied for fourth in the MEAC standings. Both teams are 5-4 in league play with five matches remaining. Each squad is one game behind Coppin State as the weekend begins.
"This NC Central match is about being mentally tough on the road," Callarman said. "We are battling for a seed in the tournament and they want to win just as bad as we do, so it's about channeling our emotions properly and playing with our heads on straight."
After their two matches this weekend, the Hawks will play two of their final three regular season matches at home. The first is on November 5 versus Coppin State and the other will be senior day on November 12 against Delaware State. Their November 7 match with Morgan State will be in Baltimore.
