Weekly Notes

BALTIMORE, Md. – The Hampton University volleyball team will hit the road for a pair of conference matches this weekend, taking on Coppin State on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Physical Education Complex, before squaring off against Morgan State on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Hill Field House.

The Lady Pirates (13-8, 7-0 MEAC) have won five straight matches, and they hit the homestretch of the regular season, where four of their last five matches will be on the road.

Hampton is 3-5 on the road this season.

Dating back to last season, the Lady Pirates have won 12 straight matches in conference play.

Through matches played this past Sunday, junior rightside Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic) leads the nation in points (6.47 per set) and kills (5.58 per set). She has recorded double-digit kills in every match so far this season, and she had 24 on Friday in a five-set win over Delaware State.

Strakova, the five-time and reigning MEAC Player of the Week, also sits 11th in the nation in aces, averaging a MEAC-best 0.51 per set.

Junior middle blocker Marija Kocevska (SKopjeKarpos, Macedonia) is 43rd in the nation – and fifth in the MEAC – in aces, averaging 0.40 per set. She had two aces in Friday's win over Delaware State.

Senior setter Bibiany Fonseca (Uberlandia, Brazil), who is already fifth all-time in career assists at Hampton in not even two full seasons, is 80th in the nation in that category, averaging a MEAC-best 10.39 assists per set.

As a team, the Lady Pirates are sixth in the nation in aces, averaging 1.85 per set.

They are also 54th in the nation in hitting percentage, hitting a MEAC-best .247, and their 13.22 kills per set as a team not only lead the MEAC, but are the 99th-best average in all of Div. I.

Coppin State is 7-15 overall this season and 3-4 in MEAC play, coming off a five-set loss to Morgan State this past Sunday. The Lady Bears go into the weekend with a 9-11 overall record, while sitting third in the MEAC Northern Division with a mark of 4-3.

The top four teams in each division will advance to the 2013 MEAC Championships.

The Lady Pirates are 33-6 all-time against Coppin State and have won the last five meetings — including a straight-set win earlier this season. Overall, Hampton has won 12 of the last 13 meetings with Coppin State.

Hampton is 5-34 all-time against Morgan State and has won the last three meetings, including a 3-0 win earlier this 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.