Box Score

BALTIMORE, Md. – The Hampton University volleyball team dropped its semifinal match of the 2011 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championships on Saturday, as Maryland Eastern Shore won 3-0 (25-20, 25-9, 25-19) at Coppin State's Physical Education Complex.

The Lady Pirates finished the season 13-14 – the most wins for Hampton in a season since the Lady Pirates went 19-15 in 2005.

Hampton took a 2-0 lead to open the first set after back-to-back service aces from senior Lihi Elkayam (Misgav, Israel). Junior Mariah Baylor (Minneapolis, Minn.) recorded a kill later in the set to give the Lady Pirates a 7-6 lead.

After UMES took an 11-10 lead, the Lady Hawks went on a 6-1 run to take a 17-11 lead and establish control. UMES went on to force set point, up 24-18, before the Lady Pirates scored back-to-back points. But the Lady Hawks got a kill from Ndidi Ibe to take the first set.

UMES jumped out to a 4-2 lead to kick off the second set, before going an 11-1 run to take a 15-3 lead; senior Mianna Armstrong (Lomond, Alberta) recorded a kill to stop that run, and freshman Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) added a kill two plays later to pull Hampton within 16-5.

From there, UMES scored four straight, taking a 20-5 lead en route to a convincing 25-9 set win.

The third set also opened with a 4-1 UMES run. Kraskura recorded a kill to pull Hampton within two, 5-3, but a 4-1 Lady Hawks spurt put UMES on top 9-4.

Freshman Sonja Maksimovic (Belgrade, Serbia) recorded a kill later in the set to cut UMES' lead to 13-9, and Armstrong capped off a 5-0 Hampton run with a kill that cut the Lady Hawks' lead to 15-14. An 8-4 UMES run grew the lead to 23-18, before the Lady Hawks clinched the set and a spot in the championship final.

The Lady Pirates hit .099 for the match, recording 26 kills and 17 errors in 91 total attacks. Hampton hit a team-best .200 (nine kills, three errors in 30 attacks) in the first set.

UMES hit .341 for the match, thanks to 39 kills and just 11 errors in 82 total attacks. The Lady Hawks hit a team-best .474 (11 kills, two errors in 19 attacks), while also hitting .355 (14 kills, three errors in 19 attacks) in the third set.

The Lady Hawks (23-6) also held a 10-3 edge in service aces.

Kraskura led the Lady Pirates with nine kills, while also recording six digs. Armstrong hit a team-best .211, thanks to seven kills and three errors in 19 attacks. Maksimovic added six kills in 20 attacks.

Elkayam had 24 of Hampton's 25 assists, while sophomore Sheileen Pagan (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico) led the team with 10 digs on defense.

MEAC Rookie of the Year Saitaua Iosia led UMES with 13 kills.

UMES, the top seed in the Northern Division, advanced to Sunday's championship match against Southern Division No. 1 seed Florida A&M.

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.