Weekly Notes

DURHAM, N.C. – The Hampton University volleyball team will open the 2013 season, its first under head coach Karen Weatherington, in the North Carolina Central Invitational this Friday and Saturday at the McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium.

The Lady Pirates will take on NCCU on Friday at 7 p.m., before squaring off against Evansville at 11 a.m. and Murray State at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The Lady Pirates were picked to win MEAC Northern Division this season, finishing ahead of defending conference champion Maryland Eastern Shore in the voting. Hampton went 19-14 last season and finished third in the MEAC North with a mark of 9-3 — marking the second straight season in which the Lady Pirates finished above .500 in conference play.

The Lady Pirates return 11 letterwinners and five starters from last year's squad, which tied a program Div. I record for wins in a season. Hampton also tied a program DIv. I record with nine conference wins last season, matching the mark set in 2000.

Among those returners are junior outside hitter Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) and senior setter Bibiany Fonseca (Uberlandia, Brazil)  who were both named to the Preseason All-MEAC Team. Kraskura was a First Team All-MEAC selection last season, while Fonseca was named Second Team All-MEAC.

Kraskura averaged 3.31 kills per set last season, and she was eighth in the MEAC in that category. She hit .246 on the season, while also leading the team with 2.88 digs on defense pet set. Overall, she was seventh in the MEAC in digs and eighth in points.

Fonseca ranked third in the MEAC in assists last season, averaging 9.94 assists per set, and her 954 total assists in 2012 were the third-highest single-season total in program history. She recorded double-digit assists in all 26 matches in which she saw action, including three instances where she recorded at least 50 assists.

Junior rightside Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic) also returns, coming off a 2012 season in which she ranked top 10 nationally in three different offensive categories. Strakova was third in the NCAA in points (5.61 per set), fifth in service aces (0.52 per set), and sixth in kills (4.75 per set) last season.

Weatherington comes to Hampton from Kennesaw State, where in four seasons, she guided the Owls to 63 wins (15.8 per season) and three appearances in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.

The Lady Pirates are 10-17 all-time against NCCU, including last season's three-set sweep at the hands of the Lady Eagles. NCCU is in its second season as a full member of the MEAC, and the team was picked to finish second in the MEAC Southern Division this year.

Prior to last season, Hampton had won five straight meetings against the Lady Eagles, and three of those wins were straight-set sweeps. Prior to the Lady Pirates' five-game winning streak in the series, though, NCCU had won six straight meetings.

The Lady Pirates have never faced Evansville or Murray State.

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.