Hawks soar to three-set win over Quinnipiac 


PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks climbed above .500 with a three-set victory over the Bobcats of Quinnipiac on Saturday.


Now at 5-4 overall, UMES claimed the victory with wins of 25-15, 28-26 and 26-17. Saturday also marked the first three set victory for the Hawks this season.


"We were able to close out this weekend with a nice win today. Our ladies did an excellent job of competing throughout the weekend and really looked good this afternoon," UMES head coach Vanessa Faircloth said. "We are three weeks into the season and there is alot of positive energy around our team. At any given time and at any given day, any one of our players has the ability to step up and be a star for us. It makes it really fun for me to coach this team as we continue to build a championship winning mindset."


Coming off of two wins in the opening day of the UMES Henson Hawk Invitational, Quinnipiac could not maintain their momentum going into Saturday as the Hawks scored eight of the final nine points in the first set to grab the 25-15 win. UMES showed resiliency in the second set. After falling behind 16-11, two kills by Derionah Abner fueled UMES to a 6-1 scoring sequence to tie up the frame, 17-17. The teams went back and forth trading points before kills by Charlize Williams and Nkemjika Ikemefuna sealed the set to put UMES up 2-0.


The Hawks remained in control for the majority of the third and final set. UMES led by as many as nine in the third and finished out the match with kills by Ranyla Griggs and Abner.


The UMES attack combined for 48 kills and nine errors on 98 total attacks for a new season-beast .398 hitting percentage. QU's hitting percentage was .194. 


Abner, who has a season-high 18 kills on Friday, followed her performance with 11 kills on Saturday. Griggs also finished with 11 kills and Ikemefuna had nine kills. Anjola Omolewa recorded four total blocks for the fourth time this season.


"Anjola continues to be a huge factor in our success. While her efforts may not always show up on the stat sheets, Her presence and ability to contest opposing hitters allows the rest of our team to make plays and succeed," Faircloth says. "I think her play is a great example of how we are all playing well together right now. This team showed what they can do today against Quinnipiac and we hope to continue the momentum as we travel to Texas."


The Hawks travel to Stephenville, Texas next weekend for the Dr. Pam Littleton Classic at Tarleton State University. UMES will play Texas Southern on Friday followed by matches against UC-Riverside and Tarleton State on Saturday.



NOTE: The University of Maryland Eastern Shore's scheduled match against Hampton at 6 pm on Saturday was canceled.