PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – Participating in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament (MEAC) for the first time since 2014, the Hampton University volleyball team topped Southern Division top-seeded Bethune-Cookman 3-1 (19-25, 25-19, 25-18, 26-24) at the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center on the campus of Maryland Eastern Shore.

This marks the first time in the history of the tournament that a No. 1 seed has lost in the quarterfinals.
 
Hampton advanced to Saturday's 3:30 pm semifinal, where the Lady Pirates (13-16) will face Howard who defeated North Carolina A&T State 3-0 in the final quarterfinal on Friday night.  Howard has won the last two MEAC titles.
 
Reeana Richardson led four Hampton players with double-digit kills, racking up 20 to go along with a team-high 16 digs. Lena Washington added 14 kills and 14 digs, while Victoria Jenifer added 12 kills and Micah Leavell chipped in 10.  Lena Reed-Petracek recorded a season-best 53 digs and just missed a double-double with eight digs as well.
 
"We can't act like we're just happy to be here," Hampton head coach Brandon Duvall said. "We want to win. We believe we can win. We think we have the tools to win, but you can't sit back and hope to win, you have to be aggressive."
 
After dropping the first set 25-19, Hampton returned the favor tying the match with a 25-19 second set win.   Hampton jumped out to a 5-1 third set lead en route to a 25-18 win.
 
The fourth saw 18 ties as the two teams went back and forth throughout, and B-CU led 22-21 after a Jordan Jefferson kill. A Hampton error later tied the set at 24-24, and Kyndall Nicholas and Richardson each recorded a kill to seal the win.
 
For more information on Hampton University volleyball, please contact the Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5757 or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com
 
MEAC Media Relations contributed to this recap