PRINCESS ANNE, Md. — The Hawk volleyball team was firing on all cylinders tonight at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center Thursday night, sweeping the Morgan State Bears in three sets (25-16, 25-13, 25-12). With the victory Maryland Eastern Shore improves to 10-10 (3-1 MEAC) while Morgan State falls to 2-16 (2-2 MEAC).
A plethora of Hawks contributed to the win, with senior Mere Serea leading the attack with 10 kills in 15 chances against just one error. SophomoreLucia Babic supplied nine kills while freshman Iva Vujosevic delivered eight. Vujosevic also tied with sophomore Koya Sowells for a team high 10 digs.
Reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year Zuzana Ondruskova helped with seven kills and six digs. FreshmanIvana Blazevic averaged almost 11 assists per set and junior Kirstin Fink led in blocks with two solos and an assist.
As a team Maryland Eastern Shore delivered 41 kills against a season low six errors, including no blemishes in the first set. The Hawks converted over 37 percent of their attacks, compared to six percent by Morgan State.
“We played a very good team tonight.” said Hawks Coach Toby Rens. “We’ve been working very hard on several different things in practice. Now we’re starting to see it come to fruition in a game situation. Everyone executed our game plan very well, which helped us maintain the upper hand.”
Morgan State actually had the upper hand in the first five points, but a Blazevic kill triggered a ferocious six-point rally by the Hawks, who seized a 9-3 lead. The Bears would rally here and there to keep it close but The Shore were able to hold them at bay. A pair of Ondruskova kills followed by a Babic kill helped seal a nine-point victory and a 1-0 lead.
The Shore kept the pressure on in the second set, building an early lead that steadily built to 10-5 after 15 points. Both teams would battle back and forth over the next few volleys, but the Hawks blew it open after a Bears service error inspired a 6-1 run that featured two Serea kills. Morgan State would get two points back before a second 6-1 rally, spearheaded by two kills and an ace from Babic gave Maryland Eastern Shore a 25-13 win entering intermission.
Aside from a couple ties the Hawks led all the way in the third set, pushing the score to 11-5 with another Babic ace—her second of the match—forcing a Bears timeout. The stoppage in play did not deter the Hawks who rattled off five in a row, capped off with a kill from sophomore Marta Klafuric to extend the lead to 16-6. When Morgan pulled the set to within six, the Hawks decided that was far enough. A 9-1 rally gave the match to The Shore, finished with a kill by sophomore Rachel Kayongo.
Maryland Eastern Shore looks to make it four in a row when they play Coppin State in Princess Anne at 3 p.m. Sunday.