MEAC Rookie of the Year Esther Johnson is back to lead the Lady Bears.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va - The 2005 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference volleyball season will tip off this week with Florida A&M, the defending conference champions playing at home against Central Florida on Friday, August 26. South Carolina State and Bethune-Cookman will also compete on Friday.
Volleyball action continues this weekend into next week with Norfolk State at Radford, Georgetown at Howard and Coppin State at Towson. North Carolina A&T will host two matches at home before they host the North Carolina A&T Volleyball Classic September 2-3. The remaining teams in the conference will open up the season playing in tournaments beginning Labor Day weekend.
Florida A&M received 23 votes in the CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Preseason Top 25 Poll, unofficially ranking them 37th in the nation. The four-time consecutive MEAC volleyball champions are returning nine players including four seniors from last year’s championship team. Outside hitter Adriana Kostadinova, the 2004 MEAC Volleyball Player of the Year and the four-time MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player heads the list of returning seniors who will look to lead the Lady Rattlers to their fifth straight MEAC tournament title.
Maryland Eastern Shore, which has advanced to the championship match of the MEAC tournament the last two years, will return only one starter from last year’s successful team, senior middle blocker Eriel Jeffery. The Lady Hawks lost five seniors to graduation including, Jana Milin, a two-time MEAC Volleyball Player of the Year and MEAC Rookie of the Year. Milin led the conference with 617 kills and led the nation in service aces per game.
Bethune-Cookman and North Carolina A&T tied for third place in the MEAC with a record of 7-3 in 2004. Both teams are major contenders who will vie for the MEAC title. Bethune-Cookman finished last season 14-12 overall under first year coach Vanessa Cogswell. The Lady Wildcats are returning three starters and four letterwinners from last year’s campaign.
The Lady Aggies are returning five starters from last year’s roster led by juniors Arlene Mitchell and Lauren Walker. Mitchell made second-team All-MEAC by leading the Lady Aggies in kills and service aces. Walker averaged 2.48 digs per game in conference play.
Delaware State completed one of its most successful seasons in school history with an overall record of 15-23. Last year’s record was the most wins by the team since going 17-14 in 1991. The Lady Hornets will look to rebound from last year’s semifinal tournament lost to Florida A&M with five returning starters who they expect will bring post season experience and poise into the new season.
Morgan State, who advanced to the conference semifinal last year, is always a threat to win the MEAC title. MEAC Rookie of the Year Esther Johnson is back along with three other starters. Morgan State and Florida A&M are the only two teams who have taken home the MEAC crown since 1994.
Conference play begins on Tuesday, September 6 with Maryland Eastern Shore at Norfolk State and North Carolina A&T at Hampton. The MEAC will host conference play at the MEAC Round-up on October 14-16 in Princess Anne, Maryland on the campus of Maryland Eastern Shore.
