HAMPTON, Va. – The last 17 times Hampton University and the College of William & Mary met on the volleyball court, the Tribe came away with the victory.

That all changed Tuesday night in Holland Hall.

The Lady Pirates opened their 2013 home slate in style, defeating William & Mary for the first time in program history, 3-2 (27-25, 22-25, 25-22, 19-25, 15-7) with a late flurry after a tight, back-and-forth first four sets.

"I am so proud of this team's effort (tonight)," first-year head coach Karen Weatherington said. "We knew it was going to be a tough match. Four matches in a five-day span will take a toll on any team, so we knew it was going to take a lot to pull out a win."

Junior rightside Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic) led the charge, tying her career high with 31 kills and tallying 22 digs on defense for her third straight double-double. She committed just eight errors in 66 total attacks to hit a team-best .348.

Junior outside hitter Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) added 14 digs and eight kills, while sophomore outside hitter Allysa Medina (Menifee, Calif.) added a career-high nine kills. Senior libero Sheileen Pagan (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico) added 17 digs.

Senior setter Bibiany Fonseca (Uberlandia, Brazil) recorded 50 assists, marking the fourth time this season she's recorded at least 50 assists.

"Vendy put up great numbers tonight," Weatherington said. "The 30-Kill Club is hard to achieve, and 31 for her was phenomenal. Bibi had a great showing with her execution and decision-making; they were key to the win.

"I have to credit Allysa for stepping up in the crucial fifth set. She is a great player and she made some great defensive plays and took some big swings in critical situations. She is going to make her mark on the MEAC."

The Lady Pirates (6-7) wasted no time setting the tone, jumping out to a 4-1 lead in the first set after an ace from junior middle blocker Marija Kocevska (SkopjeKarpos, Macedonia). The Tribe clawed back, tying the set at 6-6, then later taking a 10-9 lead, but Hampton scored four of the next five points to take a 13-11 lead.

Kraskura gave the Lady Pirates an 18-14 lead before William & Mary scored the next three points to close within one. Hampton answered with a 3-0 spurt of its own, going up 21-17 on an ace from Fonseca.

Strakova later gave Hampton a 23-20 lead with a kill, but the Tribe bounced back and tied the set at 23-23 – the first of three times William & Mary tied the score in the later stages of the set. After the Tribe forced a 25-25 tie, Hampton got points from a Tribe service error and a Pagan ace to win the set.

Hampton hit a team-best .286 in the first set, with 15 kills and just three errors in 42 attacks.

The Tribe responded quickly, opening the second set with an 8-2 run, then leading 10-3 before the Lady Pirates fought back to close the gap to 11-8 after Kraskura capped off a 5-1 Lady pirates spurt with a kill.

William & Mary later took an 18-11 lead, but the Lady Pirates clawed their back, eventually cutting the gap to 23-20 after a kill from Medina. But the Tribe closed the set with three of the last four points to tie the match at a set apiece.

The third set was tight early, and the set eventually saw nine ties and four lead changes. The Tribe led 7-6, but a 4-1 Lady Pirates spurt gave them a 10-8 lead after Strakova and Kocevska teamed on a block. William & Mary clawed back to tie the set at 11-11, but Hampton answered with an 8-3 run to take a 19-14 lead on a Tribe error.

But William & Mary wouldn't go away, closing to within two, 24-22, before Strakova slammed home a kill to give the Lady Pirates a 2-1 lead. Hampton hit .244 (14 kills, four errors in 41 attacks) in the third set.

Much like the second set, the Tribe came out firing in the fourth set, leading 7-2. But Hampton scored nine of the 15 points, closing the gap to 13-11 on a kill from Kraskura. William & Mary scored the next point, before Hampton went on a 3-0 spurt and Medina recorded a kill to tie the set at 14-14.

But the Tribe scored the next five points to take a 19-14 lead, before forcing the fifth and final set.

Once the fifth set started, the Lady Pirates mashed the proverbial gas pedal, opening the set with six straight points. William & Mary was nearly defenseless as Hampton took an 8-1 lead before the two teams switched sides.

The Tribe scored the next three points, but Hampton then rattled off five straight points, taking a 13-4 lead after another kill from Medina.

William & Mary scored three in a row again, cutting the lead to 13-7, but again the Lady Pirates squashed the Tribe's momentum before it ever truly started. Medina forced match point with a kill before, fittingly enough, Strakova ended the match by smashing the ball into the court.

All told, the Lady Pirates hit .250 (nine kills, three errors in 24 attacks) in the final set.

The Lady Pirates hit .220 for the match, recording 62 kills and just 23 errors in 177 total attacks. Hampton also held an 8-6 edge in service aces over the Tribe (4-11), continuing the trend of being one of the nation's best serving teams in 2013. Hampton also led 8.0-5.0 in blocks.

William & Mary hit .231 (67 kills, 24 errors in 186 attacks) for the match. The Tribe was held to .042 hitting in the third set and .043 in the fifth set. William & Mary only had three kills in 23 attacks in the final set.

Mallory Brickerd led the Tribe with 23 kills, while Dessi Koleva had 15 kills and Liz Brown added 13.

"We were excited to play at home and the crowd provided a great seventh player," Weatherington said of the raucous, 220-person crowd. "We needed that extra boost to feel confident. We've been in some hostile environments, so home advantage was a plus.

"I was impressed to see such great support for the team. We are grateful to Pirate Nation for their support."

The Lady Pirates will open MEAC play on Friday with a contest at rival Norfolk State in Echols Hall at 6 p.m. 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.