HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University volleyball team's match against VCU in Holland Hall on Tuesday night didn't just go five sets; it showcased heart, resilience, and grit, as VCU withstood countless runs and comebacks before winning 3-2 (25-19, 15-25, 22-25, 25-23, 21-19).
 
Senior rightside Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic) led three Lady Pirates with double-digit kills, tallying 24 to go along with 12 digs for her 12th double-double of the season. Senior outside hitter Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) added 16 kills, while senior outside hitter Sonja Maksimovic (Belgrade, Serbia) tallied 11 kills.
 
Strakova is now 18 kills shy of tying the program's all-time career kills record of 1,472, set by Chavanca Hoskins from 2003-06.
 
Senior setter Kitija Megne (Kuldiga, Latvia) had 44 assists, and junior libero Allysa Medina (Menifee, Calif.) had 10 digs on defense.
 
The Lady Pirates (10-9) hit .247 for the match.
 
VCU held a 14-11 lead in the fifth set, staring at match point, but the Lady Pirates scored the next three points, tying the score at 14-14 after a Rams attack error. What followed saw the decisive set go far beyond its 15-point threshold.
 
Six times, VCU had match point, only to see Hampton respond by tying the score. Maksimovic, Kraskura, and Strakova each had kills to stave off defeat. VCU held a 19-18 lead, before Kraskura thwarted the Rams' clinching effort with a kill. But the Rams (10-9) finally pieced together back-to-back points to take the match.
 
VCU appeared to have early control of the match, leading 10-5 in the first set, then later using a 5-0 run to take a 16-8 lead. The Lady Pirates scored the next five points to cut the gap to 16-13 after an ace from Medina, and a kill from Kraskura later in the set to cut the lead to 19-17.
 
But VCU ended the set on an 8-2 run to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
The Lady Pirates responded by hitting .500 in the second set, racking up 15 kills and committing just two errors in 26 attacks. Hampton jumped out to an 8-2 lead to open the set, thanks to a kill from Maksimovic, before VCU used a 7-1 run to tie the set at 9-9.
 
VCU then took an 11-9 lead, before the Lady Pirates scored five of the next six points to take a 15-12 lead after a Rams error. VCU scored the next point, cutting the lead to 15-13, before the Lady Pirates rattled off six straight points, going up 21-13 after Strakova and senior middle blocker Marija Kocevska (SkopjeKarpos, Macedonia) teamed on a block.
 
VCU cut the lead to 22-15, but the Lady Pirates scored the last five points, tying the match at 1-1.
 
That momentum carried into the third set, as the Lady Pirates led 8-5 after a kill from Kraskura. VCU fought back, cutting Hampton's lead to 11-10, before the Lady Pirates went on a 5-1 spurt, taking a 16-11 lead after an ace from Strakova.
 
VCU went on an 8-3 run to tie the set at 19-19, before a 4-2 spurt gave Hampton a 23-21 lead. VCU again cut the lead to one, 23-22, before back-to-back errors from the Rams gave Hampton the third set and an overall 2-1 lead.
 
The fourth set was more of a back-and-forth affair; the Lady Pirates led 6-4, before VCU scored the next three points to go up 7-6. VCU later held an 11-10 lead, before the Lady Pirates scored the next four points, going up 14-11 after a VCU ball-handling error.
 
VCU fought back to tie the set at 16-16, then at 18-18. Strakova answered with a kill, before Maksimovic added an ace and Kraskura added a kill to put the Lady Pirates up 21-18. VCU went on a 3-0 spurt to tie the set at 21-21, before Megne gave Hampton a 22-21 lead with a kill.
 
But the Rams closed the set on a 4-1 run to steal the fourth set and force a fifth.
 
VCU held a 13.5-7.0 edge in blocks, and both teams had nine aces.
 
MEAC play resumes on Sunday, when the Lady Pirates head to Norfolk, Va. to take on rival Norfolk State at 3 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.