Tournament Schedule

Opponent Pages: Bethune-Cookman | Maryland Eastern Shore | Savannah State | The Citadel

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University volleyball team will open the 2011 season on Friday and Saturday, as the Lady Pirates hold the annual Tiny L. Laster Memorial Tournament in the gymnasium at Holland Hall.

Hampton's first game will be on Friday at 12 p.m. against Savannah State, before the Lady Pirates square off against The Citadel at 4 p.m. The Lady Pirates will then face Bethune-Cookman on Saturday at 9 a.m., before taking on Maryland Eastern Shore at 3 p.m.

The tournament will begin on Friday at 10 a.m., when UMES and The Citadel square off.

The Lady Pirates, who went 7-25 overall and 3-7 in conference play last season, return three starters and nine letterwinners from last year's squad – including seniors Mianna Armstrong (Lomond, Alberta) and Lihi Elkayam (Misgav, Israel).

Armstrong battled injuries all last season, playing in 59 sets and averaging 1.47 kills per set – while also recording 15 service aces and 121 digs on defense (2.05 per set). Elkayam comes into the season 305 assists shy of the school record for career assists; Brenda Gonzalez (1998-2001) holds the current record with 2,561 career assists.

Head coach Pedro Gonzalez, in his fifth season with the program, also returns sophomores Sheileen Pagan (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico) and Petra Parros (Bloomfield, N.J.). Pagan, who will see time at libero this season, proved proficient on both ends of the floor, ending 2010 second on the team in kills and third in digs on defense. She averaged 1.91 kills per set last season over 92 sets, while also averaging 2.03 digs per set.

Parros also had moments of brilliance as a freshman, tallying 76 kills in 72 sets played.

Four newcomers will suit up for Gonzalez this season, headlined by freshman Marija Kocevska (SkopjeKarpos, Macedonia). The Powell Valley (Va.) High School product was the Region D and Lonesome Pine District Hitter of the Year last season after recording 453 kills and hitting .396 to help her team reach the regional semifinals.

Joining Kecevska will be Andjela Petrovic (Belgrade, Serbia), Sonja Maksimovic (Belgrade, Serbia) and Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia), who will each add some versatility and depth, and size in Maksimovic's case, to Gonzalez's roster.

All three are capable of playing outside hitter, while Kraskura will likely split time at libero with Pagan. Maksimovic can also play the middle blocker position.

The Lady Pirates are 7-6 all-time against Bethune-Cookman, though the Lady Wildcats have won four of the last five meetings. The two teams have not met since Oct. 14, 2006, when Bethune-Cookman beat Hampton 3-1.

Hampton also leads the all-time series with UMES 26-23, but the Lady Hawks have won 12 straight against the Lady Pirates, including a sweep of all four of last season's meetings. Hampton last beat UMES on Oct. 25, 2005 in a 3-1 decision.

The Lady Pirates are 7-0 all-time against Savannah State, which is in its first season as a member of the MEAC. The two teams last played on Sept. 23, 2008, with the Lady Pirates winning in four sets.

The Citadel is 5-4 all-time against Hampton and has won five in a row. Hampton faced The Citadel last season, on Sept. 17 as part of the South Carolina State SpikeFest, falling 3-1.

Since 2007, the Tiny L. Laster Memorial Tournament has been named in honor of the late Tiny Laster, who coached the Lady Pirates from 1994-2006. Hampton went 195-233 in those 13 seasons under Laster, as he helped usher the program through its transition to NCAA Div. I competition and the MEAC.

The Lady Pirates won the CIAA Northern Division in Laster's first season, and from 1996-2003, Laster's teams qualified for eight straight MEAC Tournaments. His .456 career winning percentage Is the third-best in program history, behind Mary Ann Ryder (.458 in three seasons) and Kathryn Kisabeth (.723 in seven seasons).

Laster also coached Hampton's softball and women's basketball programs during his tenure, on top of his duties as an educator. Laster came to Hampton in 1988, when he took over the women's basketball program; in seven seasons, Laster guided the Lady Pirates to a 129-77 record and the 1994 CIAA championship.

Laster's softball teams went 535-300-1, capturing CIAA crowns in 1994 and 1995 before winning the program's lone MEAC title in 1996.

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.