Nov. 15, 2007

HAMPTON, Va. - Following a 10-0 league season and a 20-win match streak, two UMES volleyball players were awarded major postseason honors by the conference Thursday evening at the annual awards banquet held at the Hampton University's Student Center. Lady Hawk sophomore Whitney Johnson was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year while junior teammate Christina Estebane' was named to the All-MEAC First Team. Additionally, first year UMES coach Don Metil was named MEAC Coach of the Year and sophomore Caylin Woodward received All-MEAC Second Team honors.

The banquet, held in conjunction with the MEAC Volleyball Championship, also honored 12 all conference selections. This year's championship is hosted by Hampton University.

Johnson led the maroon and gray (22-3 overall, 10-0 MEAC) to its first undefeated conference season with consistent play and strong hitting. She leads the conference and ranks 21st in the nation with 4.89 kills per game. The sophomore is second in the league with a hitting percentage of .297 and averages 5.42 points per game, and recorded 20-plus kills 11 times this season. Johnson was named MEAC Player of the Week five times this season. She was also named to the conference's first team.

Johnson is the first player to win the award since Jana Milin won it back to back in 2002 and 2003.

MEAC Coach of the Year, Don Metil (MEAC photo)

Metil led the Lady Hawks to a 22-3 overall record and a 10-0 conference finish in his debut season. UMES was picked to finish third in the 2007 MEAC preseason poll but enters this weekend's championship as the No. 1 seed in the north. Under his guidance the maroon and gray has maintained a 20-match win streak, the longest active Division I streak in the nation. As a team the Lady Hawks led the nation in aces per game (2.96) and were tenth with an 88-percent winning percentage.

UMES opens play in the MEAC Tournament tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. as they take on the MEAC South's fourth seeded team, the Spartans of Norfolk State University. If the Hawks get by Norfolk State they will meet the winner of Delaware State and North Carolina A & T at 5:00 p.m. later that day.

Read the official MEAC release here.