DURHAM, North Carolina — A complete team performance lifted the North Carolina Central University volleyball team to a noisy 3-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division triumph over visiting Bethune-Cookman University Friday evening in McDougald-McLendon Arena.
NCCU highlights included senior Whitney White tallying season-high totals of 13 kills and eight combined blocks (two solo, six assists); freshman setter Celene Morris finishing two helpers shy of the NCCU DI era record for assists in a match with 54; five Lady Eagles recording double-digit kills in a strong defensive effort that featured 90 total digs (two shy of another modern day record); and reigning MEAC Rookie of the Week Arlanda Faulkner ripping a match-high 21 kills.
BCU (7-8 Overall, 0-1 MEAC) – the preseason favorites to win the Southern Division in the MEAC Poll – served for match point at 14-13 in the fifth set, but Faulkner pounded down her 20th and 21st kills on the next two plays to set up match point for the maroon and gray. A hitting error by the Wildcats completed the wild 25-13, 17-25, 25-21, 23-25, 16-14 win for the hosts.
NCCU (3-9, 1-0) ended an eight-match losing streak against Bethune-Cookman. The Lady Eagles last defeated the Wildcats on Nov. 1, 2013, in another five-set affair. NC Central looks to stay undefeated in league play when the Lady Eagles entertain Florida A&M University on Sunday at 1 p.m. Admission is free.
BOX SCORE
NCCU HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
Faulkner reached double digit kills for a fourth consecutive outing. Her 21 kills are a new season-best for the rookie from Goldsboro, North Carolina. Faulkner also totaled 16 digs to complete her first collegiate double-double. White followed with 13 kills on an impressive .281 hitting percentage and she participated in eight of NCCU's 12 blocks. Freshman Morgan Goodwin took advantage of her attempts to chip in 10 kills.
Morris logged her fourth double-double after handing out 54 assists and making 14 digs. She also had five kills as the Lady Eagles hit .138 for the match.
Junior Jessica Pilivi paced a balanced defensive effort with 18 digs. Senior Erika Ianovale matched Faulkner with 16 digs and classmate Bree Simmons came up with 15 digs. Simmons served up two of NCCU's three aces.
BETHUNE-COOKMAN HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
Sophomore Jordan Jefferson kept the visitors in the match with 21 kills and 22 digs. Junior Sterling Williamson just missed her own double-double with 10 kills and nine digs. Sophomore setter J'Nai Higgins supported the Wildcats for 25 assists and 14 digs.
9/28/2018 NCCU Volleyball Defeats B-CU in 5 Sets NCCU Volleyball Defeats B-CU in 5 Sets
SET-BY-SET:
1ST: NCCU hit .250 in the opener and held BCU to a negative .073 mark to cruise to a 12-point win. Ianovale made six digs to help keep the Wildcats offense from warming up.
2ND: Bethune-Cookman broke an 11-11 tie with the next four points. The Lady Eagles were unable to rally as the visitors leveled the match with the eight-point win.
3RD: The maroon and gray scored 17 of its 25 points on the attack to regain the lead. Faulkner was the focal point with seven kills, including on a set point to finish off the four-point conquest.
4TH: A dump-over kill by Morris had the Lady Eagles up 21-20, but the Wildcats were able to finally win the closest set that consisted of 13 ties. Jefferson, who ripped six kills in the second-set win for BCU, added another half dozen kills as she became the go-to player ever time the Wildcats were scoring in bunches.
5TH: The race to 15 points saw another 10 ties. NCCU looked to have things in control with a late 13-11 lead, but Bethune-Cookman rattled off the next three points to serve for match point. However, Faulkner pounded down her final two spikes to end that threat and setup the win. Pilivi came up with five clutch digs in the final period to keep BCU from winning.
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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