Box Score

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University volleyball team stages a furious comeback in Holland Hall on Sunday, but it fell short as Morgan State won 3-2 (25-22, 25-17, 19-25, 23-25, 15-13) to take second place in the conference.

The Lady Pirates fell to 10-12 overall on the season, and 5-4 in MEAC play, while Morgan State, with its fifth straight win, improved to 8-17 overall and 6-3 in conference play to jump to second place in the MEAC Northern Division.

Hampton jumped out to a 10-8 lead in the first set, before Morgan State fired back with six unanswered points to take a 14-10 lead. After the Lady Bears jumped out to an 18-14 lead, the Lady Pirates scored the next six points to take a 20-18 lead on a kill from sophomore Ioana Kalfinova (Sofia, Bulgaria).

Freshman Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) added a kill of her own to give Hampton a 21-19 lead, but Morgan State went on a 6-1 run to take the set 25-22.

Morgan State controlled much of the second set, though a kill from senior Mianna Armstrong (Lomond, Alberta) cut the Lady Bears' lead to 14-11. But Morgan State closed the set on an 11-6 run to take the set 25-17.

The Lady Bears went up 9-7 early in the third set, before the Lady Pirates went up 11-10 on a kill from junior Mariah Baylor (Minneapolis, Minn.). Armstrong added a kill a few plays later to put Hampton up 14-11.

Kraskura gave Hampton a 16-12 lead with a kill, before Morgan State went on a 6-2 spurt to tie the set 18-18 – but Kalfinova recorded a kill on the next play to put the Lady Pirates back on top. Morgan State closed to within 20-19, but Hampton scored the last five points to force a fourth set.

A Kraskura kill gave Hampton a 4-2 lead early in the fourth set, before Morgan State rebounded to take a 9-5 lead. An Armstrong ace would tie the set at 10-10, and she would later inflate that lead to 16-13 with another kill.

Kraskura added another kill later in the set to put Hampton up 20-16, before Morgan State fought its way back toward the end of the set. But Hampton held off the Lady Bears, winning 25-23 and forcing the decisive fifth set.

Morgan State opened the fifth set by scoring the first five points, before Hampton answered with four straight. A service ace from senior Lihi Elkayam (Misgav, Israel) tied the set at 8-8, but Morgan State won the next point to take the lead for good.

After the Lady Bears went up 14-10 to force match point, the Lady Pirates scored three straight, but the comeback fell short.

Hampton hit .184 for the match as a team, totaling 67 kills and 29 errors in 207 total attacks. The Lady Pirates hit a team-best .268 (15 kills, four errors in 41 attacks) in the third set and .264 (19 kills, five errors in 53 attacks) in the fourth set.

Morgan State hit .223 as a team, with 68 kills and 22 errors in 206 attacks. The Lady Bears hit a team-best .268 (14 kills, three errors in 41 attacks) and .276 (10 kills, two errors in 29 attacks) in the fifth and final set.

The Lady Bears also held a 4-2 edge in service aces and an 11-4 advantage in team blocks.

Kraskura and Armstrong each recorded double-doubles for the Lady Pirates; Kraskura got her eighth of the season, with a team-high 22 kills and 18 digs on defense, while Armstrong recorded her sixth with 21 kills and a career-high 28 digs.

Kraskura also hit a team-best .268 for the match, while Armstrong hit .254.

Elkayam also had a double-double, tallying a team-high 38 assists and 13 digs. Sophomore Sheileen Pagan (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico) added 23 digs on defense.

Janelle Wilson led four Lady Bears in double figures in kills with 14, while Erin Cox added 13 kills. Kierra Outlin and Zuri Smith each added 12 kills.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Sunday, when they play host to Howard in Holland Hall at 6 p.m. in their 2011 home finale. 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.