BALTIMORE, Md. – Prior to the 2013 season, the Hampton University volleyball team had never won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Volleyball Championship, advancing to the semifinal round just twice.
 
But after Sunday's 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 28-26) win over Howard in the title match, the Lady Pirates are now back-to-back conference champions.
 
They will make their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance in two weeks.
 
"Today's match was thrilling," head coach Karen Weatherington, the tournament's Most Outstanding Coach, said. "We knew that it was going to be a very tough match and defended well. I think we just had the mental advantage with the tough schedule and season we've had."
 
Senior rightside Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic), the two-time reigning MEAC Player of the Year, was again named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after tallying a match-high 27 kills on Sunday, hitting .449 and racking up 12 digs for her 20th double-double of the season.
 
Strakova also had seven total blocks.
 
In the process, Strakova broke her own school record for most kills in a single season; after this weekend's conference tournament, she is sitting on 678 kills for the season.
 
Freshman middle blocker Tatyana Thomas (Suffolk, Va.) hit a match-best .625 with six kills and just one error to go along with four blocks. Senior outside hitter Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia), who was named to the All-Tournament Team, had 11 digs to go along with five kills.
 
Senior setter Kitija Megne (Kuldiga, Latvia) also had a double-double with 23 assists and 12 digs.
 
"We are so very happy we are able to achieve a second MEAC championship. This team is so deserving. Today was a great match against a very formidable Howard team, "Weatherington said. "We knew it was going to be a close battle. Howard is a very strong offensive team, so we focused our efforts on defense and developing a blocking system that would contain their big hitters."
 
The Lady Pirates (21-10) hit .261 (48 kills, 19 errors in 111 attacks) for the match, while Howard hit .294 (46 kills, 14 errors in 109 attacks). Hampton held a 10.5-10.0 edge in blocks, while Howard had a 2-0 advantage in aces.
 
"Vendy was stellar today, as always, but it was such a team effort," Weatherington said. "Most people never notice the nuances of the same like serving and passing; we did that very well and that was the key to today's win."
 
Howard (20-11) led 10-8 early in the first set before the Lady Pirates fought back and tied the set at 10-10 after Strakova and senior middle blocker Marija Kocevska (Skopje, Macedonia) paired on a block. The Bison scored five of the next seven points to take a 15-12 lead.
 
Hampton took a timeout before going on a 10-3 run to take a 22-18 lead. The Lady Pirates had three blocks during that run, clogging the middle against the Bison attack. Senior outside hitter Sonja Maksimovic (Belgrade, Serbia) had a block early in the run.
 
Thomas, Kraskura, and Strakova teamed on a block later in the run, before Thomas and Kraskura paired on another block on the next rally.
 
Howard used a 5-2 spurt to close the gap to 24-23, before a kill from Strakova put away the first set and gave the Lady Pirates the upper hand in the early going.
 
That momentum carried into the second set, as Hampton took an 8-4 lead on a Howard service error. A kill from Strakova later gave the Lady Pirates a 12-7 lead, and a kill from Maksimovic gave Hampton a 17-12 lead.
 
But the Bison scored 10 of the next 16 points, eventually chipping into the Lady Pirates' lead until Hampton was up 23-22. But the Lady Pirates scored the last two points of the set, thanks in large part to Thomas.
 
The freshman forced set point with a kill, before clinching the set on a block with Strakova, giving the Lady Pirates the 25-22 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
"I'm thrilled for the five seniors: Kit, Marija, Sonja, Krista, and Vendy," Weatherington said. "But I have to also mention Alyssa (Medina) and Tatyana's contributions. Alyssa has been an amazing libero and Tatyana has become an enforcer in the middle. She has a record breaking day, attacking and giving us key blocks."
 
Hampton hit a team-best .324 (15 kills, four errors in 34 attacks) in the second set.
 
Howard led 10-9 early in the third set, but the Lady Pirates went on a 4-1 spurt to take a 13-11 lead. The Bison responded with an 8-3 run to take a 19-16 lead, and Howard appeared poised to avoid the sweep.
 
But Hampton called timeout and responded with a 4-1 mini-run to take a 21-20 lead after a kill from Strakova. From that point, both teams traded points before the Lady Pirates forced championship point following a kill from Strakova that gave Hampton a 24-23 lead.
 
A 3-1 spurt from Howard gave the Bison a 26-25 lead, and a shot at forcing a fourth set, but an attack error from Howard tied the set at 26-26.
 
Another Howard error gave Hampton another crack at championship point – which the Lady Pirates cashed in after a bad set. The Lady Pirates scored the last three points to take the third set and clinch their second straight conference title.
 
The match will be shown on ESPNU Sunday at 9 p.m. EST via tape delay.
 
The 2014 NCAA Volleyball Selection Show will be held on Sunday, Nov. 30 at 8:30 p.m. live on ESPNU. The Lady Pirates will learn their opponent, location, and match date during that show.
 
"It was a classic team effort today," Weatherington said, "and we are proud to represent the MEAC again in the NCAA Championships."
 
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.