PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team carries a winning streak of three matches into their first conference contest of the season. They will host Norfolk State on Friday (September 24) and travel to Washington, D.C. to play Howard on Sunday (September 26).

The Hawks (5-6) won their home tournament last weekend, the Hawk Invitational, with wins over St. Francis (Pa.) and Hampton. They preceded those wins with a five set win over George Washington on September 11.

Junior Derionah Abner and senior captain Mauri Carver have been the catalyst of the streak for The Shore. Abner, who was named MVP of the Hawk Invitational, has led the team in kills in each of their previous three contests. Carver has accumulated 29 kills and 14 blocks in the last three matches with just two hitting errors and posting a hitting percentage of .564. She is currently second in the MEAC in hitting percentage and third in blocks per set.

In their first matchup of the weekend against Norfolk State, Eastern Shore will be looking for their 14th consecutive win over the Spartans. NSU has had their best start for a season in 10 years this year. The four wins that they have this year has already eclipsed their win total from the 2019 and 2020 seasons combined.

Maryland Eastern Shore has dropped their last two matches against Howard. Their last win against the Bison was in November 2018. Before North Carolina A&T won last season's conference tournament, HU had won the previous five in a row.

Fans can follow along with Friday's match with Norfolk State via live stats at https://easternshorehawks.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary. Sunday's match at Howard will be streamed and have live stats. Links for both will be on the Hawks website easternshorehawks.com on the volleyball schedule page.