CHICAGO, Ill. – Now that's a successful road trip.
 
The Hampton University volleyball team won the DePaul Invitational on Saturday at McGrath-Phillips Arena, sweeping Stony Brook 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-19) and taking care of the host Blue Demons 3-1 (15-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-22).
 
Senior Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic) was named Tournament MVP.
 
This marks the second straight year in which the Lady Pirates have won their first three matches of the season; they last won four straight to open a season in 2005.

"I am so proud of this team," head coach Karen Weatherington said. "We were able to carry our competitive spirit into this weekend. Krista (Kraskura), Sonja (Maksimovic), and Vendy led us in so many different ways. Kitija (Megne) ran an impeccable offense, and Allysa's (Medina) defense and passing helped us create stability on our side of the net."
 
Saturday morning's match against Stony Brook saw the Lady Pirates (3-0) hit .518 – thanks to 51 kills and just seven errors in 85 attacks. It was the first time Hampton hit .500 in a match since 2009, when the Lady Pirates hit a program-record .533 against Winston-Salem State.
 
Strakova had 15 kills to lead the Lady Pirates against Stony Brook, while senior Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) added 14 kills and 13 digs on defense. Senior Sonja Maksimovic (Belgrade, Serbia) was the third Hampton player in double figures with 12 kills.
 
Hampton hit .652 (16 kills, one error in 23 attacks) in the first set, and the Lady Pirates held a 5-1 lead after a kill from Maksimovic. Stony Brook fought back and cut the lead to 13-12, before Hampton went on an 8-2 run to take a 21-14 lead after a kill from senior Marija Kocevska (SkopjeKarpos, Macedonia).
 
Stony Brook scored the next two points, before Hampton closed the set by scoring four of the next six points, clinching the set on a kill from Kraskura.
 
That momentum carried over into the second set, as the Lady Pirates opened to a 7-1 edge thanks to another kill from Kraskura. That run continued through a kill from Kocevska that gave the Lady Pirates a 10-2 lead.
 
Hampton later led 13-5, and Stony Brook could get no closer than within five, cutting the lead to 16-11 at one point. But the Lady Pirates went on a 7-2 run to expand the lead to 23-13 after a Stony Brook error.
 
The Lady Pirates hit .464 (16 kills, three errors in 28 attacks) in the second set.
 
Stony Brook held close early in the third set, with the Lady Pirates leading 7-5. But the Lady Pirates scored the next four points, taking an 11-5 lead after a block from Kocevska. Stony Brook answered with four in a row to cut the lead to 11-9, and that was the story of the set.
 
In fact, later in the set, Hampton led 19-17. But a 6-2 spurt gave the Lady Pirates the set 25-19, and the match, after a kill from Kraskura.
 
Junior Allysa Medina (Menifee, Calif.) had 10 digs, while senior Kitija Megne (Kuldiga, Latvia) had 46 assists.
 
Strakova recorded her first double-double of the season against DePaul, with a team-high 27 kills and 10 digs – all while hitting a team-best .368. Kraskura had her third double-double of the weekend with 13 kills and 14 digs.
 
Maksimovic added 10 kills, and Medina also had 14 digs.
 
DePaul jumped out to a 10-5 lead early in the first set, and the Blue Demons later held a 19-11 lead. Kraskura answered with a kill to cut the lead to 19-12, before DePaul scored the next four points to lead 23-12.

"(DePaul) is young, but they established a blocking system that created a challenge for us in the first set," Weatherington said. "We had to work extremely hard for kills."
 
Even though DePaul won the first set, the Lady Pirates gathered momentum – ending the set by scoring three of five points. That momentum eventually carried over into the second set, when the Lady Pirates took a 14-10 lead.
 
DePaul fought back and took a 17-16 lead after a 7-2 run, but the Lady Pirates scored the next seven points – taking a 23-17 lead after a kill from Strakova. In all, Hampton ended the second set on a 9-1 run after DePaul's 17-16 edge.

"Our endurance and experience helped us make adjustments," Weatherington said "and we were better able to attack their defense and serve receive."
 
After tying the match at 1-1, the Lady Pirates hit .481 (15 kills, two errors in 27 attacks) in the third set, and Hampton led 10-8 after Strakova and redshirt freshman Kennedy Kenney (Milpitas, Calif.) teamed up on a block.
 
DePaul scored the next four points to take a 12-10 lead, but Hampton answered with a 6-0 run to take a 16-12 lead after a kill from Maksimovic. A Medina ace later in the set put Hampton up 18-13.
 
From that point on, DePaul couldn't close any more than within four in the third set, and a Kraskura kill gave the Lady Pirates the third set, 25-19, and a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
The Lady Pirates jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the fourth set, before DePaul answered with six straight points to go up 7-6. DePaul later held a 9-8 lead, before Hampton scored the next four points to go up 12-9 after a kill from Strakova.
 
Seven ties and four lead changes later, DePaul held a 19-18 lead. Hampton answered with four straight points, taking a 22-19 lead after a DePaul error. The Blue Demons scored the next two points to cut the lead to 22-21, but Strakova registered back-to-back kills to put Hampton up 24-21 and force match point.
 
DePaul scored on the next rally, but Strakova had another kill to end the match.
 
Megne had 49 of Hampton's 54 assists against DePaul.

"It's nice to see all the preseason work come together," Weatherington said. "This weekend was one of the biggest in program history. It's our second time winning a tournament to start a season (NCCU Invitational in 2013 the other) and we produced a few great wins over some very tough opponents from the BIG EAST and the Missouri Valley Conference."
 
The Lady Pirates will head to Williamsburg, Va. on Tuesday to take on William and Mary at 7 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.