Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University volleyball team will be at home for the first time this season on Friday and Sunday, opening conference play with matches against Morgan State and Coppin State in Holland Hall.
 
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Matches: Hampton vs. Morgan State, Friday at 6 p.m.; Hampton vs. Coppin State, Sunday at 3 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: The Lady Pirates (0-13) wrapped up non-conference play this past weekend in the N.C. State Doubletree Cary Classic, a tournament in which they took on the likes of Tennessee, N.C. State, and Campbell, losing all three matches in straight sets. Lena Washington was named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
The Opponents: The Lady Pirates are 7-35 against Morgan State, though Hampton has won five of the last six meetings. Hampton is also 37-7 all-time against Coppin State, and the Lady Pirates have won four straight and 16 of the last 18 meetings.
 
About Morgan State: The Lady Bears, in their 28th season under head coach Ramona Riley-Bozier, are 3-11 on the season after going 1-2 this past weekend at the Delaware Invitational. Morgan State has won two of its last four matches, including a four-set win over Loyola (Md.) this past Saturday.
 
About Coppin State: The Lady Eagles, in their first season under head coach Kyetta May, are 3-8 on the year after going 2-1 this past weekend in the Saint Francis Red Flash Classic. Coppin State, which will play at Norfolk State on Friday, has won back-to-back matches – a four-set win over Fordham and a five-set win over Saint Francis.
 
Lady Pirates Picked to Finish Third: Despite winning the last two MEAC championships, Hampton was picked to finish third in the conference's Northern Division this season in a preseason poll voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. The Lady Pirates received four first-place votes in the poll. Howard, with 18 first-place votes, was picked to win the MEAC North, with Florida A&M being the preseason favorite to take the MEAC Southern Division.
 
From Defense to Offense: Allysa Medina was the team's libero last season, averaging 2.59 digs per set. She notched double-digit digs 16 times in 2014, including a career-high 18 in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament against Coppin State. But Medina will be back on offense in her senior season, moving back to the outside. In 2013, Medina showed an impressive leaping ability and power, and this past weekend she had a career-high 13 kills against East Carolina en route to All-Tournament honors at the Wildcat Classic. She is averaging 2.32 kills and a team-best 2.68 digs per set so far this season.
 
Sister Act: One year after Ravyn Richardson joined the Lady Pirates, her younger sister Reeana Richardson has done the same. The Ellicott City, Md. natives both play on the outside, and Reeana boasts a vertical leap that can reach as high as 10 feet. Reeana is averaging a team-best 2.71 kills pet set and is 10th in the MEAC in service aces. She has at least nine kills in six of her last eight matches, including three straight matches in double figures against William & Mary, Western Carolina, and VCU.
 
Plugging Up the Middle: Despite their youth, the Lady Pirates will have some experience in the middle in the form of Kennedy Kenney and Tatyana Thomas. After redshirting in 2013, Kenney ranked third on the team with 59.0 total blocks last season, sitting 10th in the MEAC. Thomas was fifth on the team with 41.0 total blocks in 2014, while also ranking sixth on the team in points with 75.0. Thomas totaled three blocks and 14 kills at the Liberty Invitational, earning All-Tournament honors.
 
Youth is Served: With five starters gone from last year's squad, this year's Lady Pirates team could be one of the nation's youngest. There are six freshmen — including five true freshmen — this season to go along with five sophomores. The 2015 Lady Pirates have just one senior — Medina — and transfers Brianna Lilly and Alexandra Erhart and the team's lone juniors.
 
Lilly Latest in Long Line: The Lady Pirates have been strong at setter in recent years with the likes of Bibiany Fonseca and Kitija Megne, and Lilly, a Temple College transfer, is the latest to take the mantle. She was named NTJCAC Setter of the Year last season, ranking 25th in the nation in assists per set and going the entire season committing just 12 errors.
 
Stojilovic, Erhart Continuing the Tradition: Hampton's emergence over the past several years has been due in large part to an influx of international talent, which continues this season with incoming freshman Olivera Stojilovic, who hails from Serbia, and France native Alexandra Erhart. The 6-foot Stojilovic can play up the middle or on the outside, and she was a two-time champion in the Second League of Vojvodina in 2012 and 2013. She also played in the First League of Vojvodina, Division Center, First Team.
 
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.