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Nov. 18, 2003 Princess Anne, MD - The Hawks of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore head to Greensboro, NC soon to compete in the 2003 MEAC Volleyball Tournament as the #2 seed. Florida A&M, winners of the last two MEAC Titles, finished undefeated in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference to claim the top seed in 2003 MEAC Volleyball Championship for the fourth consecutive year. North Carolina A&T State is the #3 seed and Morgan State is seeded fourth. The 2003 MEAC Championship will be played at the Greensboro Parks and Recreational Sportsplex in Greensboro, N.C., Thurs-Sat., November 20-22. All 11 MEAC schools will participate in the single-elimination tournament. The Rattlers (10-0 in MEAC, 23-3) are currently on a 21-match win streak dating back to September 12 when they loss to Florida, who was ranked #3 nationally at the time. FAMU has not lost a regular season conference match since the 1998 season (N.C. A&T). Florida A&M has appeared in the last four MEAC Championship matches, winning three of four. Morgan State defeated FAMU to win the 2000 Championship. This season marks the first time in fours years that Morgan State and FAMU were not ranked 1 and 2 heading into the tournament. Third year coach Toby Rens guided his Lady Hawks to a second place finish in the MEAC regular season and the #2 seed in the tournament. Maryland-Eastern Shore (24-11) finished 9-1 in MEAC with their only loss coming at the hands of the Rattlers. They have not appeared in the MEAC Tournament finals since 1986 when they were the runners-up to Delaware State University (DSU). They also were runners-up to DSU in 1984 The winner of the MEAC Championship receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship. First and second round matches will be held on the campuses of participating institutions beginning December 4. Above portion taken from the Mid-Eastern Atheltic Conference release. The Hawks have had a great season. The following is a recap of their success: The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Volleyball Team concluded its regular season on Saturday, November 15, in Washington D.C. with a 3-0 loss to the highly talented American University Eagles. This loss, was only their 11th of the season, an impressive feet since Head Coach Toby Rens came on board three seasons ago. This year's team secured second place in the Mid-eastern Athletic Conference, a place where they predicted to finish at the beginning of the season. That second place overall was because they locked first place in the MEAC Northern Division. They defeated every conference school they placed this season with the exception of one match, that coming at the hands of the Florida A & M Rattlerettes, who won the conference and are ranked as one of the top 30 teams in the country. Overall the Hawks finished 24-11 and 9-1 in the MEAC. They improved by four matches from last seasons and defeated some stiffer competition including Morgan State University, whom the Hawks hadn't defeated since 1988. They also defeated non-conference opponents such as Navy (where Head Coach Toby Rens recorded his 100th career victory), Sacred Heart, Farleigh Dickinson, Alabama A & M, Alabama State, and Maine. They took a trip to California where they took on four top 25 teams and made impressive showings. The 24 wins are the most ever in the program's history. They recently lost to George Washington and American, but used that tough competition to prepare for the MEAC Tournament, held this weekend, November 21 and 22 in Greensboro, NC. The Hawks are more united and ready than ever and so is each individual. Jana Milin, a five-time player of the week winner and last season's Player and Rookie of the Year in the MEAC has totaled 597 kills, the most in the conference and the most in a single season at UMES; she is currently 15th in the country in kills per game. Her 87 service aces are the fourth most in the country at an average of .80 per game. She is a candidate for player of the year in the MEAC. Milin is not the only one ranked in aces per game. Freshman Sanda Dzile stands 17th in the country with her 72 and an average of .61. She has been named MEAC Rookie of the week five times as well. Milin's and Dzile's five honors is more than any individual in the conference. Dzile also has 1224 assists, the most in the MEAC and the most ever in a single season at UMES. Some other outstanding talent joins these two award winners. Junior College transfers Chrissy Jacobs, Mamie Lewis, and Aja Smith have all been huge contributors. Jacobs leads the team in attack percentage (.300) and blocks (77), she stands second to Milin in kills, and has been a force in the middle. Lewis is second on the team in blocks and third in kills and has been an intimidator at the net. Smith, who came from the same junior college as Lewis has been a hard hitter all season. Third on the team in kills, Aja has made few mistakes and been hard to defend on the opposite side of Jana. One Hawk that will be playing in her final MEAC Tournament is Sarah Whitfield. Whitfield is the lone senior and serves as team captain, leading her Hawks to the court each match this season. Her leadership has been incredible. Her fellow Hawks, Alex Turner and Eriel Jeffery, brought their style of play form California and have been a force at the net and attacking the ball. They are the future of this team. Marlee Johnson is the underrated Libero of the team. Her defense is one of the best in the MEAC and she keeps many teams from scoring on the Hawks. Candace Ringgold and Stephanie Taylor are small in stature but big in heart. Their digging ability and serving prowess have helped the Hawks to their impressive record. Finally there are three other true first year players (along with Dzile), who have made an impact. Nicole Wilson, standing at 6-2 is a force hitting and blocking the ball. Stephanie and Kim Braxton are twins who are learning the game. They have picked it up quickly and are a big part of the Hawks momentum.
UMES has had a great season, one that they hope only gets better by winning the MEAC Championship and a berth to the NCAA Tournament. They have responded to the question, What Time Is It? They know its Hawk Time!
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