Weekly Notes

NORFOLK, Va. – The Hampton University volleyball team will open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play on Wednesday, when the Lady Pirates cross the James River to take on Norfolk State at Echols Hall at 6 p.m.

The Lady Pirates (3-7, 0-0 MEAC) last played on Sept. 16-18 in the Holiday Inn Resort/Bethune-Cookman Invitational in Daytona Beach, Fla. Hampton went 2-2 for the weekend, closing out the tournament with a five-set victory over Florida Atlantic.

Junior Ornela Cadavid (Cali, Colombia) was named to the All-Tournament Team after recording 38 kills and 12 blocks over the weekend, hitting a team-best .219 in those four matches. So far this season, she has a team-high 58 kills (1.71 per set) and is hitting .199, third-best on the team, for the year.

Norfolk State (4-8, 0-0 MEAC) is in its first season in the MEAC Northern Division, coming over to make room for conference newcomers Savannah State and North Carolina Central, both of which joined the MEAC Southern Division.

The Spartans have lost three of their last six matches, including a 3-0 loss to Campbell on Saturday. Norfolk State rebounded with a 3-1 win over North Carolina A&T in its 2011 home debut on Tuesday.

Hampton is 55-14 all-time against Norfolk State, but the Spartans have won the last six meetings between the two teams. Hampton last defeated Norfolk State in 2007, when the Lady Pirates swept the season series – winning in four sets on Sept. 22 and in three sets on Nov. 6.

The Spartans beat the Lady Pirates in five sets at Holland Hall on Aug. 31 of last season, before taking a straight-set win at Echols Hall on Nov. 10.

Head coach Pedro Gonzalez is 2-6 against Norfolk State.

Senior Lihi Elkayam (Misgav, Israel) is closing in on Hampton's all-time record for career assists, currently held by Brenda Gonzalez (1998-2001). Elkayam totaled 65 assists in three matches at the Hilton RTP/NCCU Tournament in Durham, N.C., before adding 24 assists in the Northern Arizona Fiesta Bowl and an impressive 123 in the Holiday Inn Resort/Bethune-Cookman Invitational to give her 2,468 assists for her career.

So far this season, Elkayam has 212 assists.

Elkayam, who is ninth in the MEAC with 5.89 assists per set this season, is only 93 assists shy of tying Brenda Gonzalez, and she is third all-time in program history in assists per set, averaging 7.57 assists per set in 326 career sets played heading into this week's action.

Norfolk State will offer live video streaming of Wednesday's match, available through the school's official athletics website at www.nsuspartans.com. Fans will be able to access the live video stream for $5.

Live stats will also be available through the Spartans' website.

Following Wednesday's match, the Lady Pirates will head to Princess Anne, Md. to compete in their final in-season tournament of the year, the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawk Invitational on Friday and Saturday at the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center.

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.