PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball program will look to regroup this Saturday, October 23 as they head to Howard University in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference meeting at 1 p.m. in Washington, DC.
The Hawks (5-14, 3-5 MEAC) enter the game with a bitter taste in their mouths following a tough five-set loss at home to Norfolk, while Howard (13-7, 6-1 MEAC) is on a seven-game winning streak since dropping its initial MEAC meeting with Delaware State.
Last Time Out
The Hawks fell to Norfolk State in five sets on Friday (October 23) at home, an inconsistent match that Maryland Eastern Shore dominated on paper but couldn't squeeze out a win.
"I feel like we played better volleyball, but we didn't play winning volleyball," head coach
Trevor Callarman said after the match.
Charlize Williams,
Sydney Morris and
Derionah Abner each had over ten kills with Williams continuing to be a dominant force in the conference by leading the match overall by hitting 14 kills and stonewalling 2.5 blocks for 16.5 points.
Against Howard earlier this season at home, the Hawks fell 1-3 in a game they only hit .063 and were hurt at the net, being out blocked 11-3. Maryland Eastern Shore took the third set but were unable to grab more than 16 points in the other three sets.
Checking In on the Hawks
Sitting at sixth in the conference with six games remaining until the MEAC tournament, the Hawks will need to gain some ground to get solid seeding in Dover. An upset at Howard followed by a weekend hosting South Carolina State and North Carolina Central, both of whom the Hawks beat just a few weeks ago, would propel Maryland Eastern Shore up the standings.
Freshman
Nkemjika Ikemefuna is currently leading the team with 149 kills after anchor
Derionah Abner sat two games due to injury. Abner was solid in her return against Norfolk, hammering 10 kills and two aces, while also contributing defensively with seven digs.
After earning MEAC All-Rookie Team honors last season,
Charlize Williams has turned into a team leader offensively by being fourth on the team in kills (105) and points per set (2.2) at a .290 hitting percentage. She also leads the team with 21 solo blocks and 60 overall. In the conference she is seventh in hitting percentage and second in blocks per set (.91).
Isil Yilmaz has slid into the libero role since conference play started, with Callarman being able to take advantage of her serving and setting.
Valeria Matias has moved into a three-rotation role but was impressive on Friday with 18 digs in that limited time.
Honing on Howard
The preseason MEAC favorites have lived up to their expectations so far, sitting at second in the conference and could be tied for first if it weren't for a postponed match against Norfolk that has caused for what will be some late season nail-biting for tournament positioning. Since falling 1-3 to Delaware State, the Bison only dropped two sets to other MEAC opponents until beating the Hornets this past Thursday (October 20) 3-2 on the road.
Rya McKinnon has been a standout for the Bison so far, with the freshman picking up three MEAC Rookie of the Week nods – including this past weekend where she also was named MEAC Player of the Week. She leads Howard with an even three points per set at a .345 hitting percentage.
The Bison run a true 5-and-1 rotation, with Kayla Diaz grabbing 10.51 assists per set, good for 33
rd in the nation and also top of the conference. She has been solid behind the service line as well with 30 aces which is fourth in the MEAC.
At the net the Bison are a team effort, with just Maya Gerlach and Tamar Wells having ten or more solos – Gerlach with 11 and Wells with ten. Senior libero Essence Bell solidifies the back line with 3.84 digs per set, third in the conference.
How to Follow
A stream of the game and Live Stats will be provided by Howard, with links to both accessible via
www.easternshorehawks.com, as well as updates on Twitter via @ESHawksVBall.
