Led by CIAA Hall of Fame Head Coach James Sweat, the 1987-88 Hampton University Women's Basketball Team finished the season with an overall record of 33-1, including a 19-0 unbeaten mark in CIAA action, and were the NCAA Division II National Champions. The Pirates defeated West Texas State (now West Texas A&M), 65-49, to claim the first-ever national title in any sport in Hampton history.
In the 1988 NCAA Tournament's National Semifinals in Fargo, ND, Hampton took down North Dakota State 72-63. In the finals, the Pirates defeated a No. 1 overall West Texas team that had won 33 consecutive games. Hampton also downed District of Columbia, Virginia State, and Pittsburgh-Jonestown in the NCAA Tournament.
Starting the season on a 28-game winning streak, Hampton's only blemish was in the CIAA Championship game, a 73-80 loss to Virginia State. The Pirates advanced to the conference title game by defeating Elizabeth City State in the semifinals.
The 1987-88 team was led by All-CIAA selections and future CIAA Hall of Famers (inducted in 1999) Jackie Dolberry and Venise Frazier. Dolberry was a three-time CIAA Player of the Year, a 1988 Kodak All-American, and a BCSIDA Player of the Year after averaging 24 points per game in her junior season. She was also named the Most Valuable Player of the NCAA Tournament and she was joined by Frazier and Karen Drewry on the All-Tournament team. With 2,645 career points, Dolberry is the leading scorer in Hampton history and CIAA history. She is also in the top 10 in the CIAA in career rebounds and steals.
Defensively, Frazier led the team with 12 rebounds per game. Drewry (149; 4.7 per game) and Paula McDole (141) combined for 290 steals, and they are still 1-2 in program history for most steals in a single season. Hampton totaled a (still) school-record 859 steals in 1987-88.
As a team, the Pirates averaged 98.9 points per game, including 18 games of 100-plus points and a 140-point outburst in a regular season game against Elizabeth City State.
In total, the 1987-88 Hampton squad featured four 1,000-point career scorers. Dolberry, Frazier, Jacqueline Wyche, and Jacqie McWilliams. Today, McWilliams enters her 11th year as Commissioner of the CIAA.