DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Hampton University volleyball team opened up its slate in the Wildcat Classic on Friday evening at the John M. Belk Arena, as tournament host Davidson won 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-17).
 
The Lady Pirates fell to 0-4 on the season.
 
Reeana Richardson, Allysa Medina, and Lena Washington each had eight kills to lead the Lady Pirates, while Washington also had two total blocks. Mallory Beard had a team-high 12 digs on defense, and Ravyn Richardson had a team-high 18 assists.
 
Kyndall Nicholas had three total blocks.
 
An ace from Reeana Richardson helped Hampton jump out to a 2-0 lead to open the match, before Washington later added a kill to give the Lady Pirates a 3-1 lead. Davidson fought back to tie the set, before a 3-0 spurt gave Hampton a 6-3 lead.
 
Another 3-0 spurt – highlighted by a kill from Nicholas – gave the Lady Pirates a 9-6 lead later in the set. Davidson tied the set twice more, but the Lady Pirates held a 15-13 lead after Washington and Nicholas paired up for a block.
 
But the Wildcats (1-3) answered with an 8-1 run to take a 21-16 lead. Hampton scored the next two points to cut the lead to 21-18 after a kill from Washington, but Davidson then scored the last four points to take the set.
 
A kill from Medina early in the second set cut Davidson's lead to 5-4, before the Wildcats went on a 6-2 run to take an 11-6 lead. An ace from Ravyn Richardson cut the lead to 11-8, but Davidson kept its distance and later led 16-11.
 
After Davidson took a 17-12 lead, the Lady Pirates went on an 8-4 run – cutting the Wildcats' lead to 21-20 after a Ravyn Richardson kill, a kill from Tayana Thomas, and a block from both Thomas and Washington.
 
But Davidson closed the set with a 4-2 spurt to go up 2-0 in the match.
 
Both teams had their best hitting percentages (Hampton .160, Davidson .364) in the third set, in which the Wildcats jumped out to an early 10-3 lead. Hampton answered with a kill from Medina and a block from Nicholas and Reeana Richardson, before Davidson jumped out again to lead 15-7.
 
Another Nicholas kill cut the lead to 16-10, but the Wildcats maintained their gap throughout the rest of the set to pick up their first win of the season.
 
The Lady Pirates had 32 total kills for the match to Davidson's 28, though the Wildcats held the edge in aces (6-3), blocks (8-7), and digs (34-33).
 
The Lady Pirates will be back in action on Saturday, taking on East Carolina at 10 a.m. and Presbyterian at 4 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.