HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University volleyball team defeated Delaware State in straight sets on Friday in Holland Hall, winning 3-0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-12) for their fourth straight win.

All four wins have been sweeps, and the Lady Pirates (17-13, 8-3 MEAC) have won eight matches in straight sets this season. Hampton has also won the most conference matches in a season since going 8-7 in the MEAC in 2001.

The Lady Pirates' 17 wins are the most in a single season since 2005, when Hampton went 19-15.

Hampton took a 6-4 lead in the first set after sophomore Sonja Maksimovic (Belgrade, Serbia) and junior Petra Parros (Bloomfield, N.J.) teamed on a block. Delaware State answered with a 6-2 run to take a 10-8 lead, before the Lady Pirates rattled off six straight points to go up 14-10.

The Lady Pirates later led 19-16, before the Lady Hornets (5-20, 2-9 MEAC) fought back to tie the set at 20-20. Hampton then went up 22-20, only to have Delaware State battle back twice more – tying the set at 23-23 and again at 24-24.

But sophomore Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic)  the reigning MEAC Player of the Week, recorded a kill and followed that with a service ace to give Hampton the first set 26-24.

Delaware State jumped out to a 4-1 lead to open the second set, before Hampton scored three straight points to tie the set at 4-4 after a kill from Strakova. Junior Bibiany Fonseca (Uberlandia, Brazil) later added a kill of her own to give Hampton an 8-7 lead.

Sophomore Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) later gave the Lady Pirates a 10-9 lead with a kill, before the two teams traded points over the course of several rallies. Strakova put the Lady Pirates up 13-11 with a kill, then Hampton took a 16-12 lead on a service ace from sophomore Marija Kocevska (SkopjeKarpos, Macedonia).

Three straight Delaware State points cut the lead to 16-15, before the Lady Pirates went on a 7-1 run to take a 23-16 lead. Kraskura later added a kill and junior Sheileen Pagan (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico) recorded a service ace to give Hampton the second set.

Hampton carried that momentum into the third set, wasting no time in grabbing a 6-3 lead after Parros and Strakova teamed on a block. Soon, that lead ballooned to 11-4 after Strakova recorded yet another service ace.

Kocevska then got in on the act, recording a kill later in the set to cap a 4-0 run and give Hampton a 17-8 lead. The lead grew to 21-10, and Hampton scored four of the next seven points to take the set and clinch the match in dominating fashion.

The Lady Pirates hit .435 in the third set, recording 12 kills and just two errors in 23 attacks.

For the match, Hampton hit .252 (42 kills, 15 errors in 107 attacks), while holding Delaware State to .088 hitting (27 kills, 18 errors in 102 attacks). It marked the fourth time this season the Lady Pirates have held an opponent to a hitting percentage lower than .100.

Strakova recorded her eighth double-double of the season, leading the way with 18 kills and 11 digs on defense. She hit a season-best .455 for the match, recording just three errors in 33 attacks. Maksimovic added nine kills, while Kraskura had eight.

Fonseca had 34 of Hampton's 35 assists, while Pagan also had 11 digs.

Edarkis led the Lady Hornets with nine kills.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Sunday, when they close out the regular season and celebrate Senior Day at 3 p.m. against Maryland Eastern Shore in Holland Hall. 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.