HAMPTON, Virginia – The Hampton University volleyball team will make its first appearance in the NCAA Div. I Volleyball Championships on Thursday, when the Lady Pirates square off against Stanford in Maples Pavilion at 10 p.m. EST.
Stanford (24-5) is the overall No. 7 seed in the tournament.
The Lady Pirates (19-10), in their first season under head coach Karen Weatherington, won their first-ever MEAC Tournament crown on Nov. 17 with a five-set win over Coppin State in Baltimore, Md. Junior rightside Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic), the MEAC Player of the Year, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Heading into the NCAA Tournament, Strakova leads the nation in points (6.59 per set), is second in kills (5.64 per set), and is fourth in aces (0.60 per set).
Hampton leads the nation as a team with 1.99 aces per set.
Stanford is one of nine Pac-12 schools to earn bids to this year's tournament, and the Cardinal have won their last five matches – including a 3-1 win over Cal this past Friday. The Cardinal were ranked third in the latest AVCA national poll.
The Cardinal boast five players averaging better than 2.50 kills per set – led by senior middle blocker Carly Wopat's 2.89 kills per set. She is also Stanford's top hitter, coming in at .438 (275 kills, 47 errors in 520 attacks) for the season to rank seventh in the nation. Sophomore outside hitter Brittany Howard is averaging 2.82 kills per set.
Sophomore setter Madi Bugg averages 11.88 assists per set for Stanford, and she has a team-high 32 service aces.
Hampton has never faced Stanford. This will also the Lady Pirates' first-ever match against a Pac-12 foe.
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.
COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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