PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore defeated the Hampton University Pirates via sweep on Saturday (September 18) to win the 2021 Hawk Invitational held inside the William P. Hytche Center. The victory was the third straight win for the team.
Saturday's match also marked the squad's best offensive output as a team this season. Maryland Eastern Shore had a hitting percentage of .363 against Hampton. Their previous high for the year was .198 on two separate occasions.
"This was our last match before we got into conference play and you really starting to see the team come together," head coach Trevor Callarman said. "The offense is starting to click, so we are starting to hit our stride right now and this is the right time for it."
Eastern Shore used the home crowd to fuel a fast start as they led 11-6 in the first set following an ace from sophomore Jalynn Robinson. The Hawks continued their strong start and after a block from sophomore Lyric Snowden they held a 17-8 advantage. HU could not get any closer and would commit a ball handling error to end the frame with a 25-17 Hawks victory.
After 16 points in the second set, the score was tied at 8. The Shore would score the next four points to take control of the frame. Their lead would get as high as six as a kill from senior Mauri Carver put them up 21-15. A few minutes later, Snowden would get her second solo block of the match to end the set at 25-18.
The final set saw the Hawks have to make a comeback. The Pirates jumped out early and held a 12-6 advantage. HU held a 17-11 lead as Eastern Shore began to make their first move. Junior Derionah Abner got back-to-back kills and senior Stella Johnson followed that with an ace.
Hampton weathered the storm from The Shore an eventually were three points away from victory as they led 22-15 lead. After that, the Hawks went on an 8-1 run to tie the frame at 23 and force a Hampton timeout.
Following the break, the Hawks had a service error and Hampton was one point away from extending the match. Carver responded by getting two straight kills and graduate student Marina Cruz got a kill after that to end the contest.
Abner finished the game with 10 kills and was named the tournament MVP. Senior Alexis Lee finished with a game-high 11 kills and was named to the all-tournament team. Carver was also named to the all-tournament team after having nine kills with a hitting percentage of .818.
"I feel like we have some things to work on, but at this point we are ready for conference," Callarman said. "This crew has been through some hard stuff and had to come together pretty quick, so we are going to keep preparing but we're ready to go."
2021 Hawk Invitational All-Tournament Team
Derionah Abner - Maryland Eastern Shore (MVP)
Mauri Carver - Maryland Eastern Shore
Alexis Lee - Maryland Eastern Shore
Maggie Hogan - Saint Francis
Maggie Means - Saint Francis
Brooke Irvin - Hampton
