Eagles Volleyball Falls In Three To USC Upstate

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Two North Carolina Central student-athletes sought to keep the Eagles alive offensively and defensively against the Spartans of USC Upstate, Wednesday, Oct. 20. But the host Spartans amassed 45 kills to take a three straight set victory over the Eagles (25-18, 25-18, 25-20).

NCCU finished the night with 28 kills on 87 attempts, 26 assists and three service aces on offense, while obtaining 32 digs and 18 blocks on defense. As a team, the Eagles achieved 40 points through their solid defensive and offensive play. The Spartans were considerably stronger than the Eagles with 45 kills, 40 digs, six service aces and six total blocks, pacing USC Upstate at .241 hitting percentage.

Junior outside hitter Alexis John produced her second consecutive all-round performance for NCCU, contributing 3.5 points to the match. The Columbia, Md. native led the Eagles defense with 13 digs, and stopped the Spartan offense with one block assist. During three sets of play, she also forced three kills on the USC Spartan hardwood.

Directing the Eagles's offense was senior Belinda Behncke-Biney, seized her fifth consecutive double-digit kill outing with 10 kills. The senior outside hitter also added one service ace, three digs and two block assists.

The Spartan offense was led by six-foot senior outside hitter Katie Downey with 11 kills on 21 attempts. Pushing the offense forward was sophomore Emily Sanders with 37 assists.

Freshman Cori Harris set the defensive tone, turning nine Eagle attempts into Spartan digs. During her time as a front row player, she tallied 10 kills on 18 attempts for a .389 hitting percentage.

The Eagles drop to 6-21 on the season, while the Spartans advance to 8-14 snapping them out of a two-game losing streak.

For the complete story, visit  www.NCCUEaglePride.com

Mid-match Slump Dooms NSU in 3-1 Loss to JMU

NORFOLK, Va. -Norfolk State played up to par with James Madison at times but could not put together a full game in a 3-1 loss to the Dukes Wednesday night at James D. Gill Gymnasium.

Playing in front of a large, boisterous crowd that seemed practically on top of the action at times because of the limited seating, the Spartans used that home court advantage to win the first set, 26-24. JMU made the right adjustments and took the next two sets, 25-13, 25-9, before holding off the Spartans in the fourth set, 28-26.

The win improved JMU's record to 17-5 on the year, while the Spartans saw their four-match win streak - just the second ever in 10 years - come to an end and their record drop to 9-15.

Sophomore Ellica Morris totaled a match-high 15 kills with six digs, while sophomore Charlotte Armstead had 13 kills. Junior Nicole Kessner contributed 29 assists with five digs, while freshman Arielle Knafel added six digs and five kills.

The Dukes were led by Jessica Zeroual with 12 kills, one of four players for JMU in double digits in kills. Danielle Erb had a double-double with 13 digs and 10 kills, while Lauren Fanelli and Megan Wiechmann had 24 and 17 assists, respectively.

JMU hit .305 for the night, while NSU attacked at a .086 clip and committed 27 errors. The Dukes also had a big advantage in digs, 47-32, as well as service aces, 10-5, and blocks, 10-6.

For the complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com