Box Scores: Elon | William & Mary

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The Hampton University volleyball team lost both of its matches in straight sets on Saturday on the campus of William & Mary on the second day of the Colonial Challenge at Kaplan Arena.

Elon beat the Lady Pirates 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-19) in the first match, before host William & Mary beat Hampton 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-17) in the nightcap.

Sophomore Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic), the reigning MEAC Player of the Week, was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Strakova gave Hampton an 8-6 lead early in the first set against Elon with a kill, and the Lady Pirates later took an 11-10 lead after Strakova and senior Mariah Baylor (Minneapolis, Minn.) teamed on a block.

Later in the set, after Elon had taken the lead, Strakova tied the set at 16-16 with a service ace, before the Phoeniz went on to lead by as many as four, at 23-19. Strakova and Baylor cut that lead to 23-21 with a block, before Elon took the first set.

Hampton hit .257 in the first set, with 15 kills and six errors in 35 attacks.

Elon jumped out to a 5-0 lead to open the second set, before the Lady Pirates cut that lead to 6-3 on a Strakova kill. Elon led 9-7 after a block from sophomore Marija Kocevska (SkopjeKarpos, Macedonia) and junior Bibiany Fonseca (Uberlandia, Brazil).

After Elon went up 10-7, the Lady Pirates went on a 5-0 run to take a 12-10 lead. That run ballooned to 6-1 after a service ace from Kocevska that gave Hampton a 14-11 lead.

Hampton led 17-15 after a kill from sophomore Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia), but Elon battled back and took a 19-18 lead, before moving on to take the second set.

Elon led early in the third set, but Hampton fought back – even taking a 12-11 lead after back-to-back kills from Strakova. The Lady Pirates went up 16-15 on a Kraskura kill, but Elon fought back to take the lead, closing out the set on a 10-3 run.

Elon (7-8) hit .410 in the third set.

Strakova had 18 kills to lead the Lady Pirates, while also recording just seven errors in 38 attacks to hit .289 for the match. Fonseca had five kills in seven attacks, while also recording 31 of Hampton's 38 assists.

Kocevska had four kills and no errors in five attacks.

Fonseca and Kraskura each had 11 digs on defense.

The Lady Pirates were without Fonseca against William & Mary because of a concussion, but Hampton fought hard in the first set, leading 10-7 after a kill from Strakova. Baylor and sophomore Sonja Maksimovic (Belgrade, Serbia) teamed on a block to put Hampton up 17-16.

Strakova gave Hampton a 22-21 lead with a kill, before the Tribe (8-5) scored the last four points to take the set.

Hampton hit a team-best .297 in the first set, with 14 kills and three errors in 37 attacks.

William & Mary jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the second set, and that lead eventually grew to 17-10. The Lady Pirates closed to within five, 20-15, after a kill from junior Ioana Kalfinova (Sofia, Bulgaria), but the Tribe clinched the second set.

Strakova recorded an early kill in the third set to tie the score at 4-4, before the Tribe scored six unanswered points to take a 10-4 lead. Hampton answered with three straight points, and the Lady Pirates cut the lead to 10-7 on another kill from Strakova.

Another Strakova kill later in the set cut the Tribe's lead to 16-11, but William & Mary still cruised on to the straight-set win – and the tournament crown.

Strakova had 21 kills for the Lady Pirates, while also tying for the team lead with eight digs on defense. She hit .298 for the match, committing just seven errors in 47 total attacks. Maksimovic had 30 of Hampton's 34 assists filling in for Fonseca.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Friday and Saturday, when they head to Echols Hall in Norfolk, Va. for the Norfolk State Spartan Invitational, their final tournament of the regular season. 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.