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| 2018 ROSTER |
The Lady Eagles have advanced to the quarterfinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Volleyball Championship each of the last two years, but they are still looking for their first postseason win at the NCAA Division I ranks. NCCU has won nearly half of its matches in the MEAC Southern Division (9-11) since Brown has been guiding the Lady Eagles. However, NCCU has struggled to get in the win column when playing non-MEAC opposition. A deeper roster at practices is expected to make the whole team more competitive and help NCCU's chances in non-conference play and in the postseason.
Whitney White highlights a senior class of four. The middle blocker has been NCCU's team MVP each of the last two seasons. White has played in all 76 matches over her first three seasons with the maroon and gray. She is coming off a strong junior season in which she led the Lady Eagles with 2.24 kills/set, 188 total kills, 61 total blocks and a .279 hitting percentage.
NCCU's other three seniors are defensive specialist/libero Bree Simmons, outside hitter/libero Erika Ianovale and outside hitter Kierra Shipman. Simmons and Shipman join White as four-year letter winners in 2018.
Simmons has anchored NCCU's defense for each of the last two seasons as the primary libero. She ranked eighth in the MEAC with 3.49 digs/set. She has also led the Lady Eagles in service aces each of her first three seasons. Ianovale transferred to NCCU last season and contributed over one kill and one dig per set in her first year with the Lady Eagles. She is expected to see more time on defense this year to help aid Simmons and sophomore Braxton Wright.
NCCU returns four of its top five blockers from a year ago with sophomore McKayla Young following White with 0.48 blocks/set in her first season. Fellow sophomores Da'Nesha Miller (0.43) and Christine Alcox (0.30) also contributed well on the front-line defense. This quartet will be strengthened by a pair of freshmen in Morgan Goodwin and Ammaarah Williams.
The coaching staff believes blocking will be one of the Lady Eagles' biggest strengths this year, while serving and serve receive will be NCCU's biggest areas of improvement.
Offensively, NCCU had five players back that averaged over one kill per set. Miller and Alcox had solid rookie seasons, averaging 2.02 and 1.86 kills per set and they were followed by Shipman (1.66) and Ianovale (1.04). Young and junior Kennedy White also return as offensive options. However, NCCU's attack only hit .120 for the season. That rate is expected to increase with more competition for travel spots on the attack with the addition of transfer Jessica Pilivi as well as three freshmen in Estfania Louis, Arlanda Faulkner and Hana Lee and having the potential to crack the lineup.
The biggest change fans will see on the court is the departure of its starting setter in Paige Phillips, who will be able to provide leadership to a couple freshman setters as a graduate assistant coach in 2018. Phillips joins Brown and third-year assistant Emma Celentano on the coaching staff.
Celene Morris and Isis Mitchell are the newbie setters tasked with taking over the vacancy left by Phillips, who ranked fifth in the MEAC with 7.65 assists per set last year. The rookie duo may compete for playing time in a continued 5-1 lineup rotation format for the Lady Eagles or NCCU may transition to a 6-2 system to give both players more experience as they improve at the collegiate level.
The biggest challenge for Brown, Celentano and Phillips is getting and keeping the individuals and team in the athletic culture and mindset at all times, allowing each and every player the opportunity to prove themselves when their opportunities arrive.
NCCU has a total of 17 players on its team, which gives the squad a full rotation on both sides of the court in practices. That will make competition stronger daily, which is then expected to make match play the most competitive yet for the Lady Eagles under Brown.
NCCU is picked to finish fourth out of six teams in the 2018 MEAC Preseason Poll – the same position its finished each of the last two seasons. However, the Lady Eagles look to contend and prove the prognosticators wrong.
The Lady Eagles are scheduled to complete in a few more matches in 2018 with 27 regular season contested slated. NCCU opens up its season with three matches at the MEAC/SWAC Challenge on Friday-Saturday, Aug. 24-25. Fans of the maroon and gray can follow NCCU volleyball all season on NCCUEaglePride.com.
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