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Oct. 22, 2003 Princess Anne, MD - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is proud to announce that Women's Volleyball Head Coach Toby Rens collected his 100th career victory last night in a match against the United State Naval Academy. The win put the Hawks to a record of 19-9, one win shy of back-to-back 20 win seasons. This season marks Rens' third at UMES. He previously was the Head Coach at Northern Michigan University where he was 30-6 his first season and 28-11 in his second. In both seasons Rens took first place in his conference and took them to the NCAA Division II Tournament Regional Round. As the skipper of the Hawks Rens entered without a recruiting class in 2001 and recorded three victories, the first in the program in over three years. He got a chance to turn the Hawks around his way and recorded a 20-15 mark last season and a third-place finish in the MEAC. This season he had the Hawks predicted to finish second in the MEAC and they currently stand there with only one conference loss, that coming to Florida A & M who is receiving votes for National top 25 rankings. The win over Navy for career victory 100 was fitting, as Rens first match with the Hawks in 2001 was against the Midshipmen. "The players here have worked very hard during the past three years. They have helped take this program to another level. Now, we are on the verge of having two back to back 20 win seasons," said Rens. "This was a milestone that was accomplished by so many players. I've had the opportunity to coach some very talented and hard working student-athletes during the five years that I've been a head coach. I'm very thankful to all of them! This was every bit a milestone for the volleyball program as it was for me. Many of our current juniors and Sarah Whitfield, our lone senior, have played a significant part in that growth. I was very happy for those players that have been with me from the beginning. They have shared the same vision and work ethic that I've had for the UMES volleyball program," continued Rens.
Rens and the Hawk Volleyball team have just two more home contests this season, Thursday and Friday nights, the 30 and 31 of October, against conference foes South Carolina State and North Carolina A & T State. Both matches start at 6:00 pm in Tawes Gymnasium. "The support that I've had here at UMES has been wonderful," added Rens. "I think we have the greatest fans! This is an awesome place to coach and I'm looking forward to the continued growth of the program!"
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