RICHMOND, Va. – The Hampton University volleyball team dropped its non-conference finale to VCU Wednesday night at the Siegel Center, as VCU won the match 3-0 (28-26, 25-20, 25-22).
The loss snapped Hampton’s three-match winning streak.
Junior rightside Vendula Strakova, the reigning MEAC Player of the Week, led the Lady Pirates with 15 kills, hitting .333 with four errors in 33 attacks. She also had two of Hampton’s five service aces.
Senior setter Bibiany Fonseca had 26 assists, and she added six kills and just two errors in eight attacks to hit a team-best .500.
Senior libero Sheileen Pagan led the team with six digs on defense.
The Lady Pirates (8-8) jumped out to a 7-4 lead in the first set after an ace from sophomore outside hitter Allysa Medina, before VCU scored five unanswered points to take a 9-7 lead. VCU later took an 11-9 lead, before a 5-1 Hampton run gave the Lady Pirates a 14-12 lead after an ace from Pagan.
Strakova later added an ace to give Hampton a 16-13 lead, but VCU answered with a 6-1 run to take a 19-17 lead. Strakova later recorded a kill to tie the set at 19-19, before VCU scored three straight points to go up 22-19.
VCU had set point at 24-22, but the Lady Pirates tied the set at 24-24 on a block from Strakova and junior outside hitter Sonja Maksimovic, followed by a kill from Medina. Hampton then tied the score twice more, including a kill from Fonseca to knot the score at 26-26.
VCU scored the next two points to take the first set.
VCU jumped out to a 5-1 lead to open the second set, before the Lady Pirates went on a 5-1 run to tie the set at 6-6 after an ace from Strakova. The Lady Pirates later took a 10-9 lead in the set, and a kill from junior middle blocker Marija Kocevska later tied the set at 13-13.
Hampton stayed within three points from that point on, and closed the gap to 20-18 on a kill from Strakova. But VCU scored five of the last seven points to close out the set and go up 2-0 in the match.
Hampton opened the third set on a 3-1 spurt after a kill from Strakova, before VCU fought back to tie the set at 6-6 – then later taking a 10-7 lead. After the Rams (13-4) took a 12-9 lead, the Lady Pirates closed the gap, tying the set at 14-14 after a kill from senior middle blocker Petra Parros.
VCU later took an 18-16 lead, but the Lady Pirates tied the set at 18-18 after Kocevska and Strakova teamed on a block. VCU couldn’t get any separation, as Hampton tied the score four more times – including 22-22 after a kill from Maksimovic.
But VCU scored the next three points to clinch the set and the match.
Hampton hit .205 (34 kills, 16 errors in 88 attacks) as a team, recording five service aces and 11.0 total blocks. VCU had six service aces and 6.5 total blocks, and the Rams hit .267 (42 kills, 19 errors in 86 attacks).
Romana Kriskova led VCU with 18 kills.