 
 
|
Nov. 17, 2008 PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - It was a rough week for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s (UMES) athletic programs. The National Champion women’s bowling team continues to struggle early while the men’s and women’s basketball programs have a slow start and women’s volleyball ended their season falling in a nail biting conference championship game. Bowling’s 2008 National Rookie of the Year Kristina Frahm and men’s basketball player Chris Conner were named UMES’ Athletes of the week for the period ending November 9. Frahm helped the Lady Hawks to wins over Howard, Coppin State, Morgan State and Hampton in team games at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Northern Division matches in Washington D.C., averaging 214.6 in five games, totaling 1,073 pins. Conner, a guard, scored a game-high 21 points and pulled down three rebounds in the men's basketball team's 75-35 exhibition win over Swarthmore College November 4. WOMEN’S BOWLING For the second week in a row a UMES bowler has been named the MEAC Bowling Athlete of the Week. Frahm earned the honor for the week ending November 9, 2008. After a surprising opening weekend, the Lady Hawks (13-10) headed into conference play looking to get back on track. The top-ranked women's bowling team posted a 7-3 record at the MEAC Northern Division meet. While they bowled much better than the previous weekend, they struggled at times, dropping two matches to no. 9 Delaware State (DSU) and one to Morgan State, while picking up seven key MEAC wins. Frahm was solid during those games, rolling a high game of a 258 and posting two more over 200 with a 218 and a 221. Also having another outstanding outing were the dynamite duo from Colombia, Martha Perez and Maria Rodriguez. Perez averaged a 204.6 with a high game of a 224 against Howard while Rodriguez averaged 193 in four games, rolling a 215 against the Bison. The surprise star of the weekend was senior Jennifer Davis who bowled just two team games but posted scores of 200 and 202. MEN’S BASKETBALL The UMES men's basketball team fell, 60-44, to Stony Brook in its first regular-season game of the 2008-09 campaign at Pritchard Gymnasium in front of 1,536 Friday. The loss snaps a two-game winning streak for the Hawks over Stony Brook. UMES junior forward Neal Pitt led all scorers with 14 points and had six rebounds, while freshman guard Conner and freshman forward Keishawn Mayes each had 12 points and five and seven boards, respectively.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL The women's basketball team came to the floor with a sense of purpose in their exhibition match against Elizabeth City State University (ECSU). Their 97-73 win showed a strong foundation in the making for Head Coach Fred Batchelor's team, who boasts no seniors on the roster. The Lady Hawks got off to a great start behind 2007-08 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Second Team All-Conference player Tiffany Reid and MEAC Rookie of the Year Casey Morton. The pair combined for 28 points in the first half alone as Reid finished with a game-high 22 points, and tied her career-high of six steals, shooting 8-11 from the field, hitting 75-percent from behind the arc. Morton missed her career-high by just one, as she finished with 20 points. The women’s basketball program then dropped a 68-28 decision to Syracuse in its regular-season opener Sunday afternoon in front of 1,597 at home. Junior April McBride had seven points and five rebounds for the Lady Hawks. WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL For the second straight year, the UMES women's volleyball team has taken two of the top MEAC yearly honors. Senior setter Christina Estebané and freshman outside hitter Christine Edwards were named the MEAC Player and Rookie of the Year, respectively. Junior Whitney Johnson, the 2007 MEAC Player of the Year, was named First Team All-Conference. Estebané, a five-time MEAC Player of the Week, is currently ranked fourth nationally in aces per set. She leads the conference in assists, aces per set and double-doubles. Estebané has also been named to five all-tournament teams this season. Edwards leads the team in kills. The four-time MEAC Rookie of the Week is ranked in the top 10 of the conference for points, kills per set, aces per set and hitting percentage. Johnson rounds out the Lady Hawks all-conference nods. She finished the regular season second on the team in kills and second in the MEAC in hitting percentage and kills per set. This is Johnson's second straight first team award. The junior transfer is nationally ranked in hitting percentage and kills per set. For the first time this season, the women's volleyball team dropped a set to a conference opponent. The Lady Hawks rallied and pulled out a win against Norfolk State University (NSU) 3-1 (22-25, 25-11, 25-14, 25-11) in the first round of the MEAC Championships.
Estebané racked up her 11th double-double of the season, putting up a match high 40 assists and team high 10 digs. Johnson had a match high 20 kills, continuing her incredible accuracy by hitting .529 from the floor. Edwards nearly netted her fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 12 kills and nine digs. Johnson and Edwards missed tying NSU's team total 35 kills by just three. After topping northern division rival Delaware State University (DSU) for the third time this season 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-22), the UMES women’s volleyball team will make their second straight MEAC championship match appearance. Rookie of the Year Edwards put together her fifth double-double of the season with a match-high 15 kills and 12 digs. Estebané was exceptional for the Lady Hawks. The Player of the Year put up a match-high 31 assists, nine digs and seven kills. Leah Amundson ran the defense, finishing with a match-high 15 digs. The much anticipated rematch of last year’s MEAC women’s volleyball championship did not lack excitement. Both teams fought hard, but UMES could not pull out the win and dropped their second straight title match to Florida A&M University (FAMU) 3-2 (17-25, 25-15, 23-25, 31-29, 15-10). Estebané was in true Player of the Year form in her final match as a Lady Hawk. She nearly finished her career with a triple-double grabbing a match-high 20 digs, team-high 54 assists and eight kills. Samantha Chukwura was also stellar for UMES. Stepping up, the middle hitter tied Rookie of the Year Edwards for the team-high 15 kills. Chukwura had just one error and hit an amazing match-high 77.8 percent. UMES concluded their season with a 25-9 overall record as the only team undefeated in conference play this season. The Lady Hawks’ only losses to conference opponents under Metil have been to FAMU in the title matches. Metil boasts an impressive 49-13 record overall at UMES, going 30-2 against MEAC opponents. He is the winningest volleyball coach in UMES history with a .790 win-loss percentage. In his two seasons, Metil has coached two conference Players of the Year and a Rookie of the Year. UPCOMING COMPETITIONS Women’s bowling will be hosting the Hawk Challenge in Millsboro, Del. November 21-23. Men’s basketball hosts Longwood next Saturday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m. Women’s basketball is back in action Nov. 19, travelling to West Point, N.Y. to take on Army at 7:00 p.m. |
