NORFOLK, Va. – The Hampton University women's basketball team took home three of the four major postseason awards handed out by the MEAC, the conference office announced on Monday in unveiling its 2013-14 All-MEAC teams.
 
Freshman guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas (Harrisburg, Pa.) was named MEAC Rookie of the Year – becoming the first Lady Pirate to earn that honor since Rachel Butler in 2004-05 – while senior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.
 
In David Six's five seasons at Hampton, a Lady Pirate has been named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year four times.
 
Six was also named MEAC Coach of the Year for the second straight season.
 
Bennett and senior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) were each named First Team All-MEAC, and Tate-DeFreitas was named Second Team All-MEAC on top of leading the conference's All-Rookie Team.
 
Tate-DeFreitas leads the team and ranks fourth in the MEAC in scoring, averaging 19.0 points per game. Her 2.3 made 3-pointers per game are the second-most in the conference, and the six-time MEAC Rookie of the Week posted a career-high 36 points against Utah State back on Nov. 29.
 
She also had 33 points at Norfolk State on Feb. 15. For the season, Tate-DeFreitas – who was also a two-time MEAC Player of the Week this season – reached the 20-point mark 10 times.
 
Bennett, the Preseason MEAC Co-Player of the Year, is averaging 8.9 rebounds per game, ranking third in the MEAC. She grabbed double-digit rebounds 12 times this season, including a career-high 17 against Utah State back on Nov. 29.
 
A two-time MEAC Player of the Week, Bennett was also an offensive force, averaging 17.3 points per game and dropping a career-high 31 points against Santa Clara on Nov. 30. Bennett also had 12 double-doubles during the regular season, and she ranks fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (.457).
 
Hamilton is third on the team in scoring this season, averaging 13.2 points per game, and her 4.9 assists per contest are the second-most in the MEAC. She also ranks second in the MEAC in blocked shots, averaging 2.3 per game.
 
She also leads the team and sits 10th in the MEAC with 1.9 steals per game.
 
Six guided the Lady Pirates to their second straight undefeated season in conference play, and Hampton comes into the conference tournament with an overall mark of 25-4. The Lady Pirates have won 15 straight games, and dating back to the 2011-12 season, Hampton has won 46 straight games against MEAC foes – including conference tournament games.
 
Jasmine Grice of Florida A&M was named MEAC Player of the Year.
 
The top-seeded Lady Pirates will play in the MEAC quarterfinals on Wednesday at 12 p.m. against either Howard or North Carolina Central. For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.