Tournament Notes | Tournament Bracket

BALTIMORE, Md. – The Hampton University volleyball team will open its title defense on Friday in the quarterfinals of the 2014 MEAC Volleyball Championships, as the Lady Pirates take on North Carolina Central in the quarterfinals at 1 p.m. at Coppin State's Physical Education Complex.
 
Live Stats: N.C. Central (check back for future matches).
 
The Field: Hampton (18-10, 11-1 MEAC) is the MEAC Northern Division's top seed, while Florida A&M took the top seed from the Southern Division. Howard and Bethune-Cookman are the No. 2 seeds from each division, and Coppin State and North Carolina A&T are the No. 3 seeds. Morgan State and N.C. Central round out the field as their respective divisions' No. 4 seeds.
 
The Tournament: After Friday's quarterfinal round, the semifinals will be held on Saturday at 12 and 3:30 p.m. Sunday's championship match will be on Sunday at 12 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com. Sunday's match will also be shown on ESPNU via tape delay on Sunday at 9 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: The Lady Pirates wrapped up the regular season with a 3-0 win over Delaware State this past Friday in Dover, Del., wrapping up the MEAC Northern Division regular-season title and the division's top seed in the process. Senior rightside Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic) led the way with 16 kills, hitting .448.
 
The Opponent: The Lady Pirates are 11-17 all-time against North Carolina Central and have won six of the last seven meetings — including a 3-0 victory last season.
 
On Neutral Courts: The Lady Pirates are 4-2 on neutral courts this season, due to their success in early-season tournaments back in August and September. They won two neutral-court matches each in the DePaul Invitational and in the JMU Invitational, beating the likes of Bradley, Stony Brook, George Washington, and Southeastern Louisiana.
 
A Historic Season: The 2013 season was one of firsts for the Lady Pirates; they won their first-ever MEAC Tournament title — and corresponding bid to the NCAA Tournament — after taking their first MEAC Northern Division regular-season crown. Hampton won 19 matches last season, tying the program Div. I mark for most wins in a season, and the Lady Pirates' 10-2 record in conference play marked a program Div. I high in conference wins in a season. That mark was bettered this season, as the Lady Pirates went 11-1 in league play in taking their second straight MEAC Northern Division regular-season crown. They are one win shy of their third straight 19-win season.
 
Strakova Named MEAC Player of the Year Again: For the second straight season, Strakova has been named MEAC Player of the Year, becoming the first Hampton player to win the honor in back-to-back seasons. The eight-time MEAC Player of the Week – and the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year – leads the nation in total kills and ranks in the top 10 in the MEAC in points, hitting percentage, kills, aces, and digs. She is also second in the nation in kills per set and points per set.
 
Lady Pirates Raked in the MEAC Honors: Strakova, on top of being named MEAC Player of the Year, was a First Team All-MEAC selection – as was senior setter Kitija Megne (Kuldiga, Latvia). In addition, senior outside hitter Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) was named Second Team All-MEAC for the second straight season, and senior outside hitter Sonja Maksimovic (Belgrade, Serbia) was named Third Team All-MEAC.
 
Setting a New Mark: Against Coppin State on Oct. 24, Strakova became the program's all-time career kills leader, surpassing the 1,472 kills Chavanca Hoskins had from 2003-06. After the end of the regular season, Strakova has 1,632 career kills at Hampton, and she is one of just six players in program history to eclipse the 1,000-kill mark (including her teammate Krista Kraskura). Strakova has 598 kills so far this season, leaving her 29 shy of breaking her own record for most kills in a single season; she set that mark last season when she racked up 626 kills.
  
Kraskura Reaches Career Milestones: Kraskura is one of just six players in program history to reach 1,000 kills for her career, and just one of two players in program history to reach 1,000 career digs. She reached the 1,000-kill mark on Sept. 9 at Radford, and she eclipsed the 1,000-dig mark on Oct. 5 against Howard. Kraskura has 1,187 career kills and 1,092 career digs after this past weekend's matches.
 
Megne Chasing Down a Record: Megne has 1,138 assists so far this season, becoming just the fourth player in program history to register 1,000 assists in a single season. She is also 31 assists away from setting the program's all-time single-season assist mark, which currently sits at 1,168 (Sydnee Keel, 2005). Her 10.74 assists-per-set average, as it stands now, would also be a program best for a single season.
 
Weatherington Reached a Milestone: Head coach Karen Weatherington, in her second season with the Lady Pirates, picked up her 100th career win this past Friday when the Lady Pirates defeated Delaware State in straight sets. Weatherington, in her sixth season overall as a head coach, has won 37 matches with the Lady Pirates.
 
Medina Broke Out in 2013: Junior outside hitter/libero Allysa Medina (Menifee, Calif.) was one of the Lady Pirates' most improved players in 2013, showing power on the outside that betray her 5-foot-6 frame. Medina had a career-high nine kills in a five-set win over William & Mary to announce her arrival, and in conference play, she had 92 kills, an average of 0.91 per set, to go along with 123 digs on defense. She added eight kills against Norfolk State, hitting a career-best .533 in that match after going error-free in 15 attacks.
 
Thomas Gives Lady Pirates Local Flavor: Freshman middle blocker Tatyana Thomas (Suffolk, Va.) isn't just the tallest player on the team, standing at 6-foot-3. She is also the only player on the roster from Virginia, having played her high school volleyball at Nansemond River High School in nearby Suffolk, Va. There, she played under current Lady Pirates assistant coach Nicole Giancola, and as a senior, she was named the Ironclad Conference Player of the Year. She led Nansemond River to the conference championship and was named Team MVP.
 
Block Party: Seven Lady Pirates have recorded at least 20 total blocks this season, with senior middle blocker Marija Kocevska (Skopje, Macedonia) leading the way with 78.0. Strakova is second on the team with 66.0 total blocks, and redshirt freshman middle blocker Kennedy Kenney (Milpitas, Calif.) is third with 59.0 total blocks. Megne (38.0), Maksimovic (31.0), Thomas (29.0), and Kraskura (22.0) have also given the Lady Pirates strength and depth at the net.
 
Lady Pirates Have Plenty of Experience: Despite graduating five seniors last season, the Lady Pirates come into 2014 with a bevy of experience — thanks in large part to four returning seniors, a senior transfer, and a junior. Strakova, Kraskura, Maksimovic, and Kocevska each have at least two seasons' worth of experience at Hampton, and all four played in at least 85 sets in 2013. In addition, Megne, a setter, has Div. I experience thanks to her time at Virginia Tech. Medina is the team's lone junior.
 
Making Quick Work of It: The Lady Pirates went 10-4 in three-set matches last season, and prior to their NCAA Tournament match-up against Stanford, they had won seven of their last eight matches that wrapped up in straight sets. Hampton is 10-2 in straight sets so far this season after a straight-set win over Delaware State this past Friday.
 
Over the Long Haul: The Lady Pirates went 4-2 in five-set matches last season — including the MEAC Tournament championship match against Coppin State. Over the past two-plus seasons, the Lady Pirates are 10-9 in matches that go the distance following a hard-fought five-set loss at Howard on Nov. 2.
 
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.