Notes

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Hampton University volleyball team will make its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance on Friday, taking on North Carolina, the No. 7 overall seed, at 6:30 p.m. in Carmichael Arena.
 
Live Stats: Click here.
Live Video: ESPN3.com.
 
The Series: This will be the first-ever meeting between Hampton and North Carolina.
 
The Opponent: UNC, which was ranked No. 7 in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll, went 26-2 overall this season and won the Atlantic Coast Conference with a mark of 17-1. The Tar Heels, led by head coach Joe Sagula, have won 17 straight matches. Chaniel Nelson leads the Tar Heels in kills per set, averaging 2.90 while hitting .315 for the season and averaging 3.43 points per set. Paige Neuenfeldt is the team's top hitter at .366, averaging 2.00 kills per set. Leigh Andrew (2.59) and Lauren McAdoo (2.54) are also key contributors on offense.
 
Lady Pirates Picked to Repeat – and Did: The Lady Pirates were picked as the favorite to win the MEAC Northern Division this season, picking up 23 of a possible 26 first-place votes in a preseason poll voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors. Hampton went 11-1 in conference play this season, sharing the MEAC Northern Division regular-season title with Howard, and earning the division's top seed in the conference tournament based on a tiebreaker. The Lady Pirates then beat Howard in the championship match to win their second straight MEAC Tournament crown.
 
Strakova Again MEAC Player of the Year: Senior rightside Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic) has been tabbed the MEAC Player of the Year for the second straight season, after earning the conference's top honor in 2013 (becoming the first Hampton player to do so). It's yet another in a laundry list of accolades for Strakova, who last year was named Honorable Mention All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association — becoming the first Hampton player ever to be recognized by the AVCA. She was also named AVCA All-East Region, the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) Player of the Year, and the MEAC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player (another Hampton first).
 
Historic Season: The 2014 season was the Lady Pirates' best since moving to Div. I in 1995; they won their second straight MEAC Tournament title — and corresponding bid to the NCAA Tournament —  and won 21 matches to record their first 20-win season as a Div. I program. Prior to this season, the Lady Pirates had won 19 matches three times at the Div. I level — including in both the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
 
Setting a Couple New Marks: 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. Through the MEAC Tournament, Strakova has 1,712 career kills at Hampton, and she is one of just six players in program history to eclipse the 1,000-kill mark. In addition, Strakova has 678 kills so far this season, breaking her own school record for most kills in a single season; she originally set that mark last season, when she racked up 626 kills.
 
Kraskura Reaches Career Milestones: Senior outside hitter Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) 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 1,209 career kills and 1,125 career digs following the MEAC Tournament.
 
Megne Sets Mark: Senior setter Kitija Megne (Kuldiga, Latvia), who was named First Team All-MEAC this season, has 1,209 assists so far this season, becoming just the fourth player in program history to register 1,000 assists in a single season. In the process, she broke the program's all-time single-season assist mark, which sat at 1,168 (Sydnee Keel, 2005). Her 10.42 assists-per-set average, as it stands now, would also be a program best for a single season.
 
Medina Adjusting to New Position: Junior 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 moved to libero this season, and she is second on the team in digs, averaging 2.61 per set. Medina has recorded double-digit digs 16 times, including a season-high 18 against Coppin State in the MEAC Tournament semifinals.
 
Thomas Brings Local Flavor: Incoming 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. 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 25.0 total blocks so far this season, with senior middle blocker Marija Kocevska (Skopje, Macedonia) leading the way with 90.0. Strakova is second on the team with 81.0 total blocks, and redshirt freshman middle blocker Kennedy Kenney (Milpitas, Calif.) is third with 59.0. Megne has 41.0 total blocks, and Thomas has 40.0. Senior outside hitters Sonja Maksimovic (36.0) and Kraskura (28.0) have also been effective presences at the net.
 
Lady Pirates in the NCAA Rankings: Heading into the NCAA Tournament, senior rightside Vendula Strakova leads all Div. I players in total kills (678) and points per set (6.59), and her 5.84 kills per set are the second-best average in the nation. She is also seventh in the nation with 12.46 attacks per set, and her 1,445 total attacks are 12th-most in Div. I. Senior setter Kitija Megne is 55th in the nation with her 1,209 assists. The Lady Pirates, with their 168 service aces, rank 47th among all Div. I teams.
 
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 12-2 in straight sets so far this season after a straight-set win over Howard in the MEAC title match on Nov. 23.
 
In it For 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 this past Sunday.
 
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.