HAWKS WIN UMES HAWK INVITATIONAL WITH PAIR OF SATURDAY VICTORIES

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The Maroon and Grey are the champions of the UMES Hawk Invitational, finishing undefeated with Saturday victories over North Carolina Central 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-17) and California State, Bakersfield 3-1 (25-14, 25-22, 18-25, 25-22).  The Hawks take three wins in the invite and improve to 9-6 on the season to conclude non-conference play.

Saitaua Iosia earned Most Valuable Player of the invitational. Teammate Maline Vaitai was also named to the All-Tournament Team.

As a team, the Hawks hit .377 with 38 kills on 77 total attacks with just nine errors against North Carolina Central.  Iosia finished the match with 10 kills, five aces and four digs.  Vaitai got five kills with five aces and eight digs.

Emanuelle Santos led the Eagles with seven kills against UMES, while Jzima-Malaki Kalao contributed 14 assists.

Going into the last match, both UMES and CSU Bakersfield were the final undefeated teams of the tournament, vying for the invitational title.

The win increased UMES's home winning streak to 18 matches.  The Hawks have not lost a home match in over two years.

Against the Roadrunners, Iosia notched 25 kills, more than half the team's total, falling just short of a double-double with nine digs. 

CSUB's Haleigh Haratyk had a double-double with 22 kills and 10 digs, with teammate Brittany Hopley finishing with 12 kills.

For the complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com

NCCU VOLLEYBALL SUFFERS FOUR LOSSES DURING HAWK INVITATIONAL

PRINCESS ANNE, Md.- While the North Carolina Central University Eagles conclude the Hawk Invitational hosted by Maryland Eastern Shore winless on Sept. 30 - Oct. 1, senior Emanuelle Santos returns to the nest boasting two double-double performance during the two-day event.

NCCU leaves Princess Anne, Md., following four three-set losses beginning with Hampton (25-18, 25-23, 25-22) and California State Bakersfield (25-20, 26-24, 25-18) on Friday, Sept. 30 and concluding with Maryland Eastern Shore (25-16, 25-16, 25-18) and Alabama State (25-9, 25-20, 25-19) on Saturday, Oct. 1.

In their opening match with Hampton, freshman Dayanna Arrufat and Santos led the offense with 13 and 12 kills, respectively.  Freshman Alice Genna guided the offense with 16 assists, while sophomore Jzima-Malaki Kalao added 11 assists in the match. 

With her first double-double of season, Santos added 10 digs to her double-figure kills.  Defensively, senior Tasha-Gaye Richards paced the Eagles with two block assists.

The mighty maroon continued Friday competition with a matchup against Cal. State Bakersfield.

Santos continued to be a strong force for the Eagles with her second double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs.  Arrufat followed Santos' efforts with nine kills.  Genna paced the setting campaign with 15 assists, while senior Raven King led in digs with 15.  Freshman Ashley McCarthy and Santos shared the blocking effort with two block assists and one solo block apiece.

In their matchup against UMES, Santos and Arrufat combined 12 kills collectively, with Santos seizing seven kills and Arrufat collecting five kills.  Kalao returned to leading the offense amassing 14 assists, while King gathered seven digs.  Santos seized the only block of the match.

The Eagles finished the match with 21 kills, three service aces, 22 digs and one team block.

In the final match of the weekend, NCCU took on Alabama State.

Arrufat topped the Eagles with six kills, while Santos finished the with five kills.  Genna distributed 10 assists, while Santos collected 11 digs.  Senior Martisann Sinclair and Arrufat gather one block assist apiece.

Alabama State's offense was led by Maya Bell with 13 kills, while Ana Pego distributed 32 assists.  Luiza Griz collected five service aces and 11 digs.  Erika Thompson gathered two block assists.

For the complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com

LADY PIRATES SPLIT MATCHES TO CLOSE HAWK INVITATIONAL

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - Hampton split its matches on Saturday to close out the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawk Invitational at the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center, beating Alabama State 3-0 (30-28, 25-20, 25-18) before Cal State Bakersfield beat the Lady Pirates 3-1 (25-22, 10-25, 25-22, 25-20).

The Lady Pirates (6-8) extended their winning streak to four matches with the win over Alabama State, before having it snapped by the Roadrunners.

Hampton hit .220 as a team, recording 46 kills and just 18 errors in 127 attacks. The Lady Pirates hit a team-best .304 in the first set, thanks to 17 kills and three errors in 46 attacks, while also hitting .255 (16 kill, four errors in 47 attacks) in the second set.

Krista Kraskura led the Lady Pirates with her third double-double of the season, recording a team-high 15 kills and 12 digs on defense. She hit .294 for the match, recording just five errors in 34 total attacks. Sonja Maksimovic had eight kills.

Hampton hit .229 as a team, recording 50 kills and 20 errors in 131 total attacks against Cal State, Bakersfield. The Lady Pirates hit a team-best .333 in the second set, with 12 kills and just three errors in 27 attacks. The Lady Pirates also held a 5-3 edge in service aces.

Kraksura recorded yet another double-double - her fourth of the season - with a team-high 19 kills and 11 digs on defense. She hit .400 for the match, recording just three errors in 40 attacks.

For the complete story, visit www.hamptonpirates.com