Weekly Notes

GREELEY, Colo. -- The Hampton University volleyball team will compete in the Hampton Inn & Suites Northern Colorado Classic on Friday and Saturday at the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. The tournament field includes the host Bears, Wyoming, and UC Davis.
 
Weekend Schedule: Hampton at Northern Colorado, Friday, 9 p.m. EST; Hampton vs. Wyoming, Saturday, 12 p.m. EST; Hampton vs. UC Davis, Saturday, 7 p.m. EST.
Live Stats: Northern Colorado, Wyoming, UC Davis.
Live Video: Northern Colorado match only.
 
Last Time Out: The Lady Pirates (5-5) lost both matches in the Tiny Laster Memorial Classic this past weekend, falling to Presbyterian in five sets after a four-set loss to Georgetown. Seniors Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic) and Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) were both named to the All-Tournament Team; Strakova had double-doubles in both matches, and Kraskura had 16 kills against Georgetown – before recording a double-double against Presbyterian.
 
The Opponents: The Lady Pirates have never faced Northern Colorado, Wyoming, or UC Davis.
 
Away From the Pirates Den: Dating back to last season, the Lady Pirates are 17-14 in matches away from Holland Hall, going 6-11 in true road contests and 11-3 in neutral-court matches. Hampton is 4-0 on neutral courts so far this season after winning both such matches in the JMU Invitational on Sept. 5-6. Dating back to 2013, the Lady Pirates have won 10 of their last 14 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. Hampton went 19-11 last season and won the MEAC Northern Division regular-season crown with a mark of 10-2 — setting the program Div. I mark for most conference wins in a single season. The Lady Pirates went on win their first-ever MEAC Tournament crown.
 
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).
 
Start the Countdown: Following Saturday evening's five-set match against Presbyterian, Strakova has 1,265 career kills at Hampton, which ranks her second in program history and makes her one of just five players ever to cross the 1,000-kill mark. After tallying 31 kills on Saturday against Presbyterian, Strakova is now just 207 kills behind all-time record holder Chavanca Hoskins, who tallied 1,472 kills from 2003-06. Over the weekend, she passed both Nicole Adams (1,244) and LaJaiah Miles (1,249) on the program's all-time career kills list. Strakova already has 231 kills so far this season.
 
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 on Aug. 29-30, recording three double-doubles and hitting .340. She now has seven double-doubles to open the season after this past weekend at the Tiny Laster Memorial Classic, where she had a double-double against Presbyterian and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
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. This season, she's serving as the Lady Pirates' libero, and she is averaging 2.73 digs per set.
 
Thomas Gives Lady Pirates Local Flavor: 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 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 staff — was third with 64.0 total blocks. Senior outside hitter 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 in the National Rankings: Through this past weekend, Strakova leads the nation in both total kills (231) and total attacks (531), and she ranks third among all Div. I player in kills per set (5.78), points per set (6.44), and attacks per set (13.28). Senior Kitija Megne (Kuldiga, Latvia) is ninth in the nation with 457 total assists, and her 11.43 assists-per-set average is 19th in the nation. Hampton is 19th nationally in total assists (522), 25th in total kills (552), 36th in assists-per-set average (13.05), and 41st in hitting percentage (.264). The Lady Pirates are also 46th in the nation in kills per set, averaging 13.05 per set.
 
Lady Pirates Have 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, 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, Megne, a setter, 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 2-1 in straight sets so far this season after a straight-set win over Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 6.
 
Over 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 9-7 in matches that go the distance following a hard-fought five-set loss to Presbyterian this past Saturday.
 
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.