PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — This Friday and Saturday (September 17-18), the University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team will host their first match inside the William P. Hytche Athletic Center in nearly two years as they host the Hawk Invitational. The team will face Saint Francis (Pa.) University on Friday at 6 p.m. and Hampton University on Saturday at 4 p.m. Saint Francis and Hampton will face off on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
"It's surreal to finally get to play in front of our home crowd," senior captain Mauri Carver said. "I feel like we've had anticipation building for two years and now that it's here, we're all excited. It's going to be a super fun weekend and we're ready to put on a show!"
The matches this weekend will be the first time the team has played at home in 670 days. The date of that last match in Princess Anne was November 17, 2019, as the Hawks honored their seniors against Coppin State. With that being said, a myriad of things have happened since the last time the squad performed in front of their home fans.
The country and world has endured a worldwide pandemic. The Kansas City Chiefs have won and lost a Super Bowl. LeBron James won his fourth championship and also fell in the first round of the playoffs for the first time in his career.
Also, in the world of HBCU athletics, former All-Pro NFL players Deion Sanders and Eddie George became head coaches at Jackson State and Tennessee State respectively. So as all that time passed, The Shore has had to wait for this moment and now they are ready to seize the opportunity.
"We are really excited to play at home," head coach Trevor Callarman said. "We have an electric team this year and we look forward to the home crowd fueling us on."
Maryland Eastern Shore (3-6) won their last match on September 11 at George Washington in five sets. They got strong performances from Carver and junior Derionah Abner in that match. Carver finished with 17 kills and 11 blocks, while Abner had a game-high 20 kills and four blocks of her own.
The Shore has common opponents with both schools that they will face this weekend. Saint Francis and the Hawks have each dropped matches to Georgetown earlier this season, while Eastern Shore and Hampton each fell to Loyola (Md.) in three sets.
Admission for the tournament is free, but the squad is asking fans and supporters to consider donating money to help the team renovate their locker room. The link to donate is https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/HawkVolley.
All matches can be followed along via live stats. All links for the stats will be on the Hawks website easternshorehawks.com on the volleyball schedule page.
