Opponent Websites: Delaware State | Coppin State

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University volleyball team will open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play this weekend at Holland Hall with a pair of matches.

The Lady Pirates (4-16), winners of three straight and four of their last six, will play host to Delaware State on Friday at 6 p.m., before welcoming Coppin State to Holland Hall on Sunday for a 3 p.m. match. This will be Hampton's first home match since Aug. 31, when the Lady Pirates fell 3-1 to Norfolk State.

Hampton is 30-10 all-time against Delaware State, even though the Hornets have won the seven meetings between the two teams. Delaware State won both last year's meetings, beating Hampton 3-1 in Dover, Del. on Oct. 9 before winning 3-0 in Holland Hall on Oct. 25.

Hampton last beat Delaware State on Oct. 20, 2005 with a 3-0 sweep.

The Lady Pirates also lead the all-time series with Coppin State 27-5, and Hampton has won the last six meetings. The Lady Pirates beat Coppin State 3-1 in Baltimore, Md. last season on Oct. 11, before taking a 3-0 win at Holland Hall on Oct. 30.

Hampton is coming off a weekend sweep at the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawk invitational on Saturday, beating North Carolina A&T 3-0 (25-15, 25-7, 25-12) and North Carolina Central 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-20). Three of the Lady Pirates' four wins so far this season have come against NCCU.

Senior Aaryn Harrison (Cary, N.C.) leads the team with 171 kills so far this season, averaging 2.71 per set. She also sits fourth in the MEAC in points, averaging 3.26 per set and recording 205.5 points so far on the season.

After recording a combined 12 kills over the weekend at UMES, Harrison is now just 34 kills shy of 1,000 for her career.

Junior Lina Cordoba (Bogota, Columbia) leads the team in hitting percentage at .248, thanks to 63 kills and just 25 errors in 153 total attacks. Senior Ivana Suput (Zitiste, Serbia) leads the team with 14 service aces after recording eight on Saturday against North Carolina A&T, while freshman Sheileen Pagan (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico) has 12, Harrison has 11 and junior Juliana Chavez (Bogota, Colombia) has 10.

Junior Lihi Elkayam (Misgav, Israel) leads the team with 360 assists on the season – 7.35 per set – while Chavez has recorded 153 assists. Suput has a team-high 153 digs on defense – an average of 3.33 per set – while Pagan is averaging 2.03 digs per set and has 120 on the year.

Delaware State (7-9) had its five-match winning streak snapped on Sept. 28 by the University of Delaware in a 3-0 sweep. Four Hornets have recorded at least 100 kills so far this season, led by senior Sarah Wheatcroft's 143 kills – an average of 2.31 per set. Junior Elisa Hermann has 109 kills so far this season, while senior Ashley Herman has 102 and senior Erica Tajchman has 101.

Senior Martina Ferrari leads Delaware State with 17 service aces and 543 assists – a MEAC-best 8.62 per set – so far this season. Junior Sonja Banicevic has a team- and MEAC-high 308 digs on defense – 5.31 per set – while Wheatcroft has 171 and Ferrari has 170.

Coppin State (3-13) has won three of its last five matches, including 3-2 wins over North Carolina A&T and Norfolk State in the UMES Hawk Invitational. Junior Ashley Saunders leads the Lady Eagles with 131 kills so far this season – an average of 2.38 per set – while junior Alexandria Malesick has a team-high hitting percentage of .208 (89 kills, 38 errors in 245 attacks).

Freshman Stephanie Simmons has a team-high 18 service aces, while Saunders has 17. Freshman Haley Beechler leads Coppin State with 320 assists – 5.93 per set – and Saunders also leads the team in digs on defense with 149 (2.71 per set).

For more information on Hampton University volleyball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.