ASHEVILLE, North Carolina – The Vanessa Faircloth coaching era started off in the right way as the University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team kicked off the regular season with a five set win over the University of North Carolina Ashville on Friday, September 25.
 
"It's amazing to start off the season and my Division 1 career with such a beautiful win," Faircloth said. "We struggled in the second and third sets but we showed what we can do and closed it out."
 
Although the Hawks were down by three to start the match, nothing but resilience was shown despite falling behind early on. UMES found themselves but as much as six in the set but a six point run would turn the tides in the Hawks favor, as the Bulldogs were unable to make up the deficit.
 
The Hawks found themselves down by a set after the third, needing to trust in the upperclassmen to make a difference as time went on.
 
In the fourth and fifth set it became the Carlize Williams and Derionah Abner showed off, as the pair rattled off hits that would shake a Viking and solidified the final two frames. Williams also added five blocks during the match.
 
Williams set a personal record in the match with 16 kills.
 
"Charli was everything I thought she would be and more," Faircloth said. "She kept us moving at the most important moments in the match and I expect her to continue that into our two matches tomorrow, as well as the season."
 
The Hawks get another shot at the Bulldogs on Saturday (August 26), as well as a look at out of conference Alabama A&M to close out the UNC Asheville Invitational.
 
Both Saturday games will be streamed on ESPN+, with Live Stats also available, and links on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Athletics website. As always, follow the action on Twitter via @ESHawksVBall for live updates and analysis.