PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team travels north to take on the Route 13 rivals, the Delaware State University Hornets, this Friday (October 1) in a pivotal conference matchup. First serve will be at 6 p.m.

The Hawks (6-7, 1-1 MEAC) split a pair of conference matches last weekend. They swept Norfolk State on September 24 and fell to Howard in straight sets on September 26.

Friday's match will serve as an early test for both squads as the conference season revs up. During the opening weekend of conference play, six of the eight teams in the MEAC won at least one game. DSU along with North Carolina Central each went 2-0. A win on Friday will allow the Hawks to keep themselves involved near the top of the conference standings while they play just one match over the weekend.

The matchup will be a battle of strong defense at the net. The Shore and DSU are the top two squads in blocks per set in the MEAC. Those rankings are a product of the conference's top two individual blockers as the Hornets' Sydney Lewis and the Hawks' senior captain Mauri Carver rank one and two respectively in blocks per set.

Delaware State currently stands at 14-1 overall. Their only loss of the season came on September 4 at Saint Francis University. That same Saint Francis team was defeated by the Hawks on September 17 in four sets.

After their match in Dover, The Shore will return home for two straight matches on October 8 against South Carolina State and on October 10 versus North Carolina Central.