CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Hampton University volleyball team closed out the Boston College Invitational on Sunday with a tough four-set loss to the host Eagles, as Boston College won 3-1 (25-22, 27-29, 25-17, 25-21) at Power Gym.

This is still the best start to a season the Lady Pirates (4-2) have had since 2005, when Hampton opened 5-1.

Junior Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic) was named to the All-Tournament Team. She had 57 kills, seven service aces, 26 digs, and 9.0 total blocks over the weekend. She recorded her second straight double-double, and her third of the season, on Sunday, with 21 kills and 14 digs.

Both of those were team highs.

The first set featured six ties and two lead changes, and the Lady Pirates tied the set at 15-15 after a kill from junior Marija Kocevska (SkopjeKarpos, Macedonia), before the Eagles took the lead back. Hampton closed to within a point twice, before BC scored four straight points to take a 23-18 lead.

Kocevska and junior Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) later teamed on a block to cut BC's lead to 24-22, but the Eagles scored the next point to take the first set.

The Lady Pirates hit a match-best .310 in the second set, recording 15 kills and just six errors in 29 total attempts. BC led 8-4, but the Lady Pirates fought back and tied the set at 11-11 on a kill from Strakova after going on a 7-3 run.

The Eagles later took a 17-15 lead, before Hampton scored five straight points to take a 20-17 lead. When BC tied the set at 23-23, it set off a sequence where the score was tied four times; Hampton tied the set at 27-27 on a BC error.

Junior Sonja Maksimovic (Belgrade, Serbia) registered a kill to give Hampton the lead, before Kraskura gave the Lady Pirates the set with a kill.

The Lady Pirates led the third set 4-1 after a kill from junior Allysa Medina (Menifee, Calif.), before BC answered with an 11-4 run to take a 12-8 lead. The Eagles eventually grew the lead to 20-11, then BC forced set point up 24-14.

Hampton scored the next three points to cut the gap to 24-17, but BC scored the next point to go up 2-1 in the match, despite hitting just .107 (10 kills, seven errors in 28 attempts).

BC led the fourth set 8-4, then took a 10-6 lead, before the Lady Pirates went on an 8-3 run to take a 14-13 lead after a kill from Medina. From there, the score was tied six times, and the lead changed hands four times.

After Hampton went up 19-18 on a kill from senior Bibiany Fonseca (Uberlandia, Brazil), BC scored the next six points to force match point and take a 24-19 lead. Hampton scored two more points, cutting the lead to 24-21 on a block from Strakova and senior Petra Parros (Bloomfield, N.J.), but the Eagles won on the next point.

Fonseca had 39 of Hampton's 45 assists.

Hampton hit .161 (48 kills, 26 errors in 137 attacks) as a team, while BC hit .301 (59 kills, 19 errors in 133 attacks). The Lady Pirates held an 8-7 edge in service aces, while both teams had 9.0 total blocks.

Katty Workman led the Eagles with 22 kills.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Friday and Saturday, when they head to Morehead, Ky. For the Morehead State Eagle Challenge. 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.