Weekly Notes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Hampton University volleyball team will hit the road for the final time in the 2012 regular season on Sunday, when the Lady Pirates take on rival Howard at the Burr Gymnasium at 3 p.m.

The Lady Pirates (15-13, 6-3 MEAC) got back into the win column this past weekend with a pair of three-set wins over Coppin State and Morgan State. Howard (0-20, 0-8 MEAC) is still looking to break into the win column after a five-set loss at Delaware State this past Sunday.

The Lady Bison will face Norfolk State on Friday.

Nearing the end of the regular season, the Lady Pirates have the second-best winning percentage in the MEAC. With a 15-13 mark, Hampton has a .536 winning percentage — second to only defending conference champion Maryland Eastern Shore (.846, 22-4).

This season, the Lady Pirates boast non-conference wins over Elon (Southern Conference), Radford (Big South), Florida Atlantic (Sun Belt), Stetson (Atlantic Sun), and McNeese State (Southland). Hampton also took Baylor, No. 49 in the RPI last season, to five sets.

The Lady Pirates are second in the MEAC – and 12th in the nation – in service aces with 1.64 per set, while also ranking third in hitting percentage (.214), opponents' hitting percentage (.207), kills (12.06 per set), assists (11.02 per set), and digs (12.87 per set).

Sophomore rightside Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic) has six double-doubles so far this season, and she is currently second in the MEAC in points with 5.32 per set and is second with 4.51 kills per set. She is also third in the MEAC in service aces (0.48 per set).

Sophomore outside hitter Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) is sixth in the MEAC in kills with 3.37 per set, seventh in points with 3.82 per set, and ninth in digs with 2.99 per set. She has 11 double-doubles on the season, already eclipsing the nine she had as a freshman.

Senior middle blocker Mariah Baylor (Minneapolis, Minn.) is third in the MEAC in blocks, averaging 1.06 per set. She led the team with 70 total blocks last season, and so far in 2012, Baylor has 105.0 total blocks — including a career-high 10.0 against Norfolk State on Sept. 22.

The Lady Pirates are 18-28 all-time against Howard, though Hampton has won the last eight meetings between the two teams — including a pair of three-set sweeps earlier this season. Hampton defeated the Lady Bison on Sept. 14 in the Colonial Challenge, and won again in straight sets in Holland Hall on Oct. 5.

Howard has not beaten Hampton since 2008, when the Lady Bison capped off a six-match winning streak in the series.

Head coach Pedro Gonzalez is 8-4 against Howard.

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.