HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University volleyball team made history in its regular season finale on Sunday, beating conference rival Maryland Eastern Shore 3-1 (19-25, 25-19, 25-21, 26-24) in Holland Hall.

It marked Hampton's first win over UMES since 2005 – and the first win over the Lady Hawks in the tenure of head coach Pedro Gonzalez. The Lady Pirates (18-13, 9-3 MEAC) also handed UMES its only conference loss of the season. The win also snapped UMES' 23-match conference winning streak.

Prior to Sunday, UMES hadn't lost a MEAC match since Nov. 5, 2010 against Howard.

The Lady Pirates, who have won five straight matches, recorded the most wins in a single season since 2005, when they went 19-15. Hampton last won nine conference matches in 2000, when the Lady Pirates were 9-6 in league play.

Hampton will likely wind up third in the MEAC Northern Division for the second straight year.

UMES jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first set, then later held a 10-5 edge. Sophomore Marija Kocevska (SkopjeKarpos, Macedonia) recorded a kill to cut the lady Hawk's lead to 13-10, before UMES answered with three straight points to go up 16-10.

The Lady Hawks maintained control throughout the first set before taking it 25-19 and going up 1-0. UMES hit a match-best .387 (14 kills, two errors in 31 attacks) in the first set.

Hampton led the second set 3-1 after a kill from sophomore Sonja Maksimovic (Belgrade, Serbia)  then led 7-5 after Kocevska and junior Bibiany Fonseca (Uberlandia, Brazil) teamed on a block.  Fonseca later added a kill to put Hampton up 9-6.

UMES later took a 14-13 lead, before the Lady Pirates scored two straight points to go back up 15-14. After the Lady Hawks tied the set at 15-15, Hampton went on a 4-1 run to take a 19-16 lead on a service ace from Fonseca.

Sophomore Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) recorded a kill to cap a 5-1 Lady Pirates run and give them a 24-18 lead, before sophomore Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic)  the reigning MEAC Player of the Week, clinched the set with a kill of her own. The Lady Pirates hit .367 (13 kills, two errors in 30 attacks) in the second set.

Hampton then hit a match-best .400 in the third set, recording 18 kills and four errors in 35 total attacks. The Lady Pirates led 6-2 after a kill from Maksimovic, before UMES battled back and cut Hampton's lead to 11-10.

Three straight Hampton points put the Lady Pirates up 14-10, then Strakova recorded a kill later to put Hampton up 15-12. Kraskura and Kocevska teamed on a block, giving the Lady Pirates an 18-14 lead, before a Kocevska kill later put Hampton up 19-16.

UMES cut the lead to 22-20 late, but Hampton closed the set on a 3-1 mini-run, taking the set 25-21 on a Strakova kill.

With Hampton up 2-1 in the match, the Lady Pirates went up 4-2 in the fourth set on a service ace from Kraskura. Hampton later went up 9-4, before UMES went on a mini-run to close the gap to 9-6. Senior Mariah Baylor (Minneapolis, Minn.)  playing in her final regular-season match, later added a kill to put Hampton up 13-8.

UMES fought its way back, though, tying the set at 17-17, then later taking a 19-18 lead. The two teams battled back and forth, tying at 21-21 before the Lady Pirates scored the next two points to go up 23-21 before UMES called a timeout.

Strakova and Baylor teamed on a block to put Hampton up 24-22 and force match point, but UMES fought back to tie the set at 24-24. Strakova added a kill on the next rally to again force match point before a UMES error gave the Lady Pirates the match and the set.

Hampton hit .265 (15 kills, six errors in 34 attacks) in the deciding set.

The Lady Pirates hit .310 for the match, recording 59 kills and 19 errors in 129 total attacks. Hampton also held a 7-6 edge in service aces, while UMES was up 7-6 in blocks.

The Lady Hawks (25-5, 11-1 MEAC) hit .287 for the match, with 51 kills and 16 errors in 122 attacks.

Strakova registered a career-high 31 kills, marking the second time this season she's joined the “30-Kill Club.” She hit a career-best .510 for the match, recording just six errors in 49 total attacks. Her 31 kills are a program record for most kills in a four-set match.

Kraskura added nine kills, while Maksimovic had seven kills.

Fonseca had 52 of Hampton's 54 assists, while junior Sheileen Pagan (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico) had a team-high 13 digs.

Ndidi Ibe led UMES with 17 kills, while Saitaua Iosia had 15 kills and Maline Vaitai had 11.

The 2012 MEAC Volleyball Championships will begin on Friday, Nov. 16 on the campus of Coppin State in Baltimore, Md. Official seedings will be announced on Monday; the top four teams in each division will qualify for the tournament.

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.