LYNCHBURG, Va. – The two-time defending MEAC champion Hampton University volleyball team opened the 2015 season on Friday and Saturday with a trio of matches in the Liberty Invitational presented by La Quinta Inns & Suites at the Vines Center.
 
Hampton fell to Fairleigh Dickinson in straight sets on Friday, before losing 3-0 to UNC Greensboro and falling 3-0 to tournament host Liberty on Saturday.
 
"I am proud of the effort our volleyball student-athletes and Coach (Janay) Yancey put forth in opening up their season," University President Dr. William R. Harvey said. "This is but the first step in what will be a long journey, and I am confident in the foundation being set and the commitment going forward."
 
Tatyana Thomas was named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
Fairleigh Dickinson 3, Hampton 0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-21)
Though neither team hit .100 for the match, it was a tightly-contested affair and the Lady Pirates demonstrated a balanced attack. Allysa Medina tied her career high with nine kills, while also notching a team-high 13 digs.
 
Thomas had seven kills in 11 attacks, going error-free to hit .636. Reeana Richardson had six kills and 11 digs, while Mallory Beard and Lena Washington each had 10 digs on defense. Washington also had five kills.
 
Kyndall Nicholas added four kills and a team-high four blocks.
 
Hampton (0-3) leapt out to a 5-1 lead to open the match, before FDU rattled off the next six points to take a 7-5 lead. The Lady Pirates responded with an 8-1 run, taking a 13-8 lead after Medina registered a kill. FDU fought back to tie the set at 17-17, before Nicholas gave the lead back to Hampton with a kill.
 
But FDU closed the set on n 8-5 spurt to close out the frame and take a 1-0 lead.
 
Hampton held another 5-1 lead early in the second set, and when Washington and Nicholas paired up on a block later in the set, it gave the Lady Pirates a 10-5 lead. Thomas later added a kill to put Hampton up 13-8.
 
Medina added a kill to put the Lady Pirates up 16-13, but FDU responded with nine straight points to take a 22-16 lead. Hampton scored the next three points, cutting the lead to 22-19 after another Medina kill, but FDU scored three of the last four to take the set and go up 2-0.
 
After Hampton jumped out to a 5-2 lead to open the third set, FDU went on an 8-3 run to take a 10-8 lead. The teams jockeyed back-and-forth for several rallies after that, with the Lady Pirates taking a 13-12 lead after Nicholas and Brianna Lilly teamed on a block.
 
Nicholas added a kill later to give the Lady Pirates a 15-14 lead.
 
FDU went on a 5-1 run to take a 19-16 lead, before Hampton went on a 4-1 spurt to tie the set at 20-20 on a service ace from Richardson.

But FDU closed the set with a 5-1 run to take the match.
 
UNC Greensboro 3, Hampton 0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-15)
Richardson led the Lady Pirates with eight kills in Saturday morning's match, while also notching six digs on defense and two service aces. Medina added seven kills and seven digs, while Washington added five kills and seven digs of her own.
 
Lilly added six digs on defense, on top of her 26 assists.
 
The two teams were tied at 4-4 in the first set, before UNCG scored five of the next six points to take a 9-5 lead. The Spartans later held a 13-9 lead before the Lady Pirates scored three straight to cut that lead to 13-12 after an ace from Richardson.
 
But another 5-1 run gave UNCG an 18-13 lead. Hampton scored back-to-back points to cut the lead to 18-15 after Washington and Thomas teamed on a block, but the Spartans closed the set on a 7-2 run to take the opening frame.
 
A kill from Medina tied the second set at 5-5, before UNCG used a 5-1 spurt to take a 10-6 lead. The Lady Pirates got as close to within 12-9 before the Spartans closed the set with a 13-5 run to win the set 25-14 and take a 2-0 lead.
 
UNCG hit .360 in the second set.
 
The Lady Pirates led 6-4 early in the third set, then later went up 9-7. UNCG answered with the next five points to go up 12-9, before Hampton scored the next point on a kill from Medina. Another 5-0 Spartans spurt followed, giving UNCG a 17-10 lead.
 
The Spartans then closed the set outscoring the Lady Pirates 8-5 to take the set and the match.
 
Liberty 3, Hampton 0 (25-10, 25-18, 25-17)
Richardson led the Lady Pirates with nine kills, while also recording both of Hampton's service aces and tying for the team lead with seven digs. Medina added seven kills. Lilly and Beard both had seven digs on defense, and Lilly notched 22 assists.
 
Liberty hit .322 for the match, including a .441 clip in the first set.
 
The Flames jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the first set, before the Lady Pirates rattled off three straight points – cutting the lead to 9-5 on a kill from Richardson. A 7-2 run put the Flames up 16-7, then Liberty later led 20-9.
 
Hampton ended that run on the next rally before the Flames scored the last five points of the set.
 
Liberty's momentum carried into the second set, when the Flames jumped out to a 10-2 lead. The Flames later held a 14-5 lead, and a kill from Medina later in the set cut Liberty's lead to 18-9.
 
Liberty later led 22-12 before Hampton scored four straight points – cutting the lead to 22-16 on a Richardson kill, a Liberty error, a block from Olivera Stojilovic and Lilly, and an ace from Richardson. But Liberty closed out the set with a 3-2 spurt to go up 2-0 in the match.
 
A kill from Lilly gave the Lady Pirates a 6-4 lead to open the third set before Liberty answered with five straight points to go up 9-6. The back-and-forth continued until the Lady Pirates cut the lead to 15-13, which was when Liberty went on a 7-1 run to take a 22-14 lead.
 
Three straight Hampton points cut that lead to 22-17 before Liberty scored the next three points to take the set and the match.
 
The Lady Pirates will be in Davidson, N.C. this coming Friday and Saturday to compete in the Davidson Tournament. 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.