Weekly Notes

HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Hampton University volleyball team will head to James Madison University this Friday and Saturday to compete in the JMU Invitational at the Sinclair Gymnasium. The tournament field includes the host Dukes, George Washington, and Southeastern Louisiana.
 
Weekend Schedule: Hampton at James Madison, Friday at 7:30 p.m.; Hampton vs. George Washington, Saturday at 10 a.m.; Hampton vs. Southeastern Louisiana, Saturday at 5 p.m.
Live Stats: All matches.
 
Last Time Out: The Lady Pirates (3-1) suffered their first loss of the season on Tuesday, falling in straight sets at William and Mary. Senior rightside Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic) led the way with 20 kills, hitting .302, while senior outside hitter Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) racked up her fourth straight double-double to open the season, collecting 14 kills and 13 digs while hitting a team-best .542.
 
The Opponents: The Lady Pirates are 0-2 all-time against James Madison and 1-1 against George Washington all-time. Hampton has never faced Southeastern Louisiana. The win over George Washington came in 2005 in four sets.
 
Away From the Pirates Den: Dating back to last season, the Lady Pirates are 15-12 in matches away from Holland Hall, going 6-9 in true road contests and 9-3 in neutral-court matches. Hampton went 3-0 in Chicago, Ill. this past weekend in winning the DePaul Invitational, before falling at William and Mary this past Tuesday. Dating back to 2013, the Lady Pirates have won eight of their last 10 matches away from Holland Hall.
 
A Historic Season: The 2013 season was one of firsts for the Lady Pirates; they won their first-ever MEAC Tournament title — and corresponding bid to the NCAA Tournament — after taking their first MEAC Northern Division regular-season crown. Hampton won 19 matches last season, tying the program Div. I mark for most wins in a season, and the Lady Pirates' 10-2 record in conference play marked a program Div. I high in conference wins in a season.
 
Lady Pirates Picked to Repeat: The Lady Pirates were picked as the favorite to win the MEAC Northern Division this season, picking up 23 of a possible 26 first-place votes in a preseason poll voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors. Florida A&M was picked to win the MEAC Southern Division.
 
Strakova Named MEAC Preseason Player of the Year: Strakova has been tabbed the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year — after earning the conference's top honor in 2013 (becoming the first Hampton player to do so). It's yet another in a laundry list of accolades for Strakova, who last year was named Honorable Mention All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association — becoming the first Hampton player ever to be recognized by the AVCA. She was also named AVCA All-East Region, the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) Player of the Year, and the MEAC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player (another Hampton first).
 
Strakova Racks Up the Weekly Awards: Strakova was named AVCA Div. I National Player of the Week for the second time in her career after her performance this past weekend in the DePaul Invitational. She is the only player in Hampton history to be recognized by the AVCA in its weekly honors. In addition, she was named MEAC Co-Player of the Week and ECAC Co-Player of the Week.
 
Start the Countdown: Following Tuesday's match at William and Mary, Strakova has 1,121 career kills at Hampton, which ranks her fourth in program history and makes her one of just five players ever to cross the 1,000-kill mark. After tallying 20 kills on Tuesday, Strakova is now just 351 kills behind all-time record holder Chavanca Hoskins, who tallied 1,472 kills from 2003-06. She is now 123 kills behind third-place Nicole Adams, who had 1,244 career kills from 2000-03.
 
Kraskura Off to a Strong Start: As the Lady Pirates' No. 2 offensive threat, Kraskura had a strong 2013 season — earning Second Team All-MEAC honors. She was strong in the DePaul Invitational this past weekend, recording three double-doubles and hitting .340. She now has four double-doubles to open the season after her 14-kill, 13-dig performance on Tuesday in a three-set loss at William and Mary – a match in which she hit a team-high .542. She is currently ranked second in the MEAC in hitting percentage at .381, and her 3.93 kills per set rank sixth in the conference.
 
Medina Broke Out in 2013: Junior outside hitter Allysa Medina (Menifee, Calif.) was one of the Lady Pirates' most improved players in 2013, showing power on the outside that betray her 5-foot-6 frame. Medina had a career-high nine kills in a five-set win over William & Mary to announce her arrival, and in conference play, she had 92 kills, an average of 0.91 per set, to go along with 123 digs on defense. She added eight kills against Norfolk State, hitting a career-best .533 in that match after going error-free in 15 attacks.
 
Thomas Gives Lady Pirates Local Flavor: Incoming freshman middle blocker Tatyana Thomas (Suffolk, Va.) isn't just the tallest player on the team, standing at 6-foot-3. She is also the only player on the roster from Virginia, having played her high school volleyball at Nansemond River High School in nearby Suffolk, Va. There, she played under current Lady Pirates assistant coach Nicole Giancola, and as a senior, she was named the Ironclad Conference Player of the Year. She led Nansemond River to the conference championship and was named Team MVP.
 
Block Party: Six Lady Pirates recorded at least 30 total blocks last season, led by senior middle blocker Marija Kocevska (SkopjeKarpos, Macedonia), who had 100.0 total blocks. Strakova was second on the team with 69.0 total blocks in 2013, and Petra Parros — who is now on the Lady Pirates' coaching staff — was third with 64.0 total blocks. Senior Sonja Maksimovic (39.0), recently-graduated setter Bibiany Fonseca (38.0), and Kraskura (33.0) were also strong at the net in 2013. Hampton had more blocks than its opponent 11 times in 2013, going 10-1 in those matches.
 
Lady Pirates Led NCAA in Aces: The Lady Pirates were the best serving team in the nation in 2013, leading all Div. I programs with 1.95 aces per set. Hampton had a season-high 14 aces three times last season: at Norfolk State in the regular season, and against South Carolina State and Howard in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the MEAC Tournament. The Lady Pirates had more aces than their opponent 20 times in 2013, winning 16 of those matches.
 
Plenty of Experience: Despite graduating five seniors last season, the Lady Pirates come into 2014 with a bevy of experience — thanks in large part to four returning seniors, a senior transfer, and a junior. Strakova, Kraskura, Maksimovic (Belgrade, Serbia), and Kocevska each have at least two seasons' worth of experience at Hampton, and all four played in at least 85 sets in 2013. In addition, senior setter Kitija Megne (Kuldiga, Latvia) has Div. I experience thanks to her time at Virginia Tech. Medina is the team's lone junior.
 
Making Quick Work of It: The Lady Pirates went 10-4 in three-set matches last season, and prior to their NCAA Tournament match-up against Stanford, they had won seven of their last eight matches that wrapped up in straight sets. Hampton is 1-1 in straight sets so far this season, with a win over Stony Brook and Tuesday's loss at William and Mary.
 
In It for the Long Haul: The Lady Pirates went 4-2 in five-set matches last season — including the MEAC Tournament championship match against Coppin State. Over the past two-plus seasons, the Lady Pirates are 9-5 in matches that go the distance following a season-opening five-set win over Bradley this past Friday in the DePaul Invitational.
 
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.