GREELEY, Colo. – The Hampton University volleyball team fell in four sets to Northern Colorado Friday night in the Northern Colorado Classic, as the Bears won 3-1 (25-19, 26-28, 25-9, 25-16) in the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion.
 
Senior Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic) recorded her sixth double-double of the season – and her fourth straight – tallying a team-high 23 kills and 13 digs. She hit .267 for the match, while senior Marija Kocevska (SkopjeKarpos, Macedonia) hit a team-best .500 with seven kills and no errors.
 
Senior Kitija Megne (Kuldiga, Latvia) had 32 assists for Hampton (5-6).
 
The Bears (5-5) held a 9-4 lead early in the first set, before the Lady Pirates scored the next four points to cut the gap to 9-8. Northern Colorado then went on a 7-1 run to take a 17-9 lead, but Hampton clawed back and cut the lead to 21-15 after a kill from senior Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia).
 
Northern Colorado was looking at set point, up 24-15, before the Lady Pirates scored the next four points to cut the lead to 24-19 after a kill from Megne.
 
But the Bears ended the run on the next point to take the first set.
 
The Lady Pirates hit a team-best .381 (19 kills, three errors in 42 attacks) in the second set, even though Northern Colorado rode its momentum from the first set to take a 7-3 lead early in the second frame.
 
The Bears later held a 15-11 lead, before the Lady Pirates scored the next four points to tie the set at 15-15. Northern Colorado edged in front again, but again Hampton fought back, tying the set at 19-19. Hampton's first lead came on a kill from Strakova to put the Lady Pirates up 22-21.
 
The Bears tied the set on the next rally, before a kill from Strakova and a kill from freshman Ravyn Richardson (Ellicott City, Md.) gave the Lady Pirates a 24-22 lead. On three occasions, Northern Colorado tied the set, the last coming at 26-26.
 
But Kocevska answered with a kill to put Hampton up 27-28, before an error from the Bears gave Hampton the set and tied the match at 1-1.
 
Strakova gave Hampton a 3-1 lead in the opening moments of the third set, before the Bears went on a 12-2 run to take a 13-5 lead. Northern Colorado carried that momentum throughout the set, as the Lady Pirates did not score consecutive points for the rest of the set.
 
Redshirt freshman Kennedy Kenney (Milpitas, Calif.) had a kill to cut the Bears' lead to 20-9, before Northern Colorado closed the set on a 5-0 run to regain control of the match.
 
After hitting .471 in the third set, the Bears hit .405 in the fourth set. Kraskura had a kill early in the fourth set to cut Northern Colorado's lead to 5-4, before the Bears answered with six straight points to go up 10-4.
 
A 3-0 Hampton spurt cut that lead to 10-7, but Northern Colorado answered with a 6-2 run to go up 16-9.
 
The Bears later led 21-11, before the Lady Pirates scored five of the next six points, cutting the lead to 22-16 after a kill from Kocevska. Northern Colorado answered with three straight points, though, to close out the set and take the match.
 
The Lady Pirates will square off against Wyoming on Saturday at 12 p.m. EST, before taking on UC Davis at 7 p.m. EST. 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.