Florida A&M Snaps Losing Streak With Win Over North Florida, 3-1

Florida A&M snapped a 12-match losing streak with a 3-1 victory over North Florida on Saturday afternoon.

The Rattlers (1-11) were led by Pamela Barrera with 14 kills. Katherine Huanec had 12 kills and Maria Ceccarelli tallied 11. Diana Gonzalez had 39 assists while Susan Egoavil had 24 digs.

For the complete story, visit www.famurattlerssports.com

Hawks Spread Offense Around In Sweep Of South Carolina State

DURHAM, N.C. - Three players tallied eight kills as Maryland Eastern Shore  swept South Carolina State, 3-0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-21), on the second day of the NCCU Tournament at McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium.

Redshirt senior Samantha Chukwura, junior Zoe Bowens and freshman

Maline Vaitai each powered the UMES offense, helping the Hawks to move to 2-1 in the tournament.

UMES improves to 7-9 overall with its sixth win in eight matches while SCSU fell to 4-14 in the match that took just 62 minutes.

SCSU got seven kills from Jarne Gleaton and 15 assists from Shabree Roberson.

For the complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com

NSU's Fast Start Not Enough in 3-1 Loss to Davidson

NORFOLK, Va. - Despite an opening set that saw the Norfolk State volleyball team catch fire, the Spartans were unable to keep the momentum in a 3-1 loss to Davidson Saturday morning in the Spartan Invitational at Joseph Echols Hall.

Sophomore Charlotte Armstead led the way for NSU with 11 kills and three blocks, while freshman Arielle Knafel tallied a match-high 16 digs. Junior Nicole Kessner totaled 22 assists with five kills, while sophomore Ellica Morris added eight digs, seven kills and six service aces.

Sarabeth Peele had 14 kills to lead the Wildcats, while Jennifer Chamblee and Christine Perzinski contributed 14 and 12 digs, respectively. Hayley Lawson had 37 assists to lead the offensive attack.

Davidson hit .206 for the match with 47 kills while limiting NSU to 34 kills and a .061 attack percentage. The Wildcats also held the edge in blocks, 9.5-4.0, while the Spartans had a 10-4 advantage in service aces.

For the complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com

Eagles Swept In Day Two Tournament Action

DURHAM, N.C. - Back-to-back double-digit kill performances from senior outside hitter Belinda Behncke-Biney wasn't enough for North Carolina Central (3-16) as they were swept by Hampton (2-16) and Maryland Eastern Shore (8-9) in doubleheader action Saturday afternoon to conclude the 2010 NCCU Volleyball Tournament at McDougald-McLendon Gym.

Hampton earned its second win of the year as they came from two sets back to defeat NCCU, 3-2, by scores of 14-25, 19-25, 25-16, 25-23 and 17-15. The Pirates improved to 2-16 on the season. The Eagles concluded the tournament with a 3-0 loss to Maryland Eastern Shore by scores of 25-23, 25-16 and 25-16, dropping to 3-16 on the season, while the Hawks improved to 8-6 on the season.

East Tennessee State took home the NCCU Volleyball Tournament title as they went a perfect 4-0 over the two-day event, followed by Maryland Eastern Shore with a 3-1 mark. Hampton and NCCU both earned one win in the tournament as the Pirates recorded a 1-2 mark and the Eagles recorded a 1-3 mark. South Carolina State finished winless as they notched a 0-3 mark in tournament play.

Against Hampton, Behncke-Biney paced the Eagle offense as she hit .297 with a career-high 27 kills and six service aces. Contributing to the success of Behncke-Biney was freshman setter Jzima-Malaki Kalao with a match-high 42 assists as she stood just three dishes away from tying her season high. 

Hampton was led by Aaryn Harrison, who notched a double-double with 20 kills and 10 digs, while hitting a .295 on the day. She was assisted by Lihi Elkayam with 39 dishes. Along with Harrison, Ivana Suput and Sheileen Pagan combined for 23 digs to round out the Pirates' defensive efforts.

When it comes to the Battle of the Birds, Maryland Eastern Shore has always managed to come out on top and it wasn't any different on Saturday as the Hawks defeated the Eagles in perfect fashion. NCCU still remains winless against Maryland Eastern Shore in program history with the Hawks claiming a 5-0 lead.

In her outing with the Hawks, Behncke-Biney notched a .357 clip with 13 kills and just three errors to lead the Eagle offense, marking her third double-digit kill performance in four matches. She also had two service aces. Santos and Sinclair each added nine kills as NCCU totaled 35 kills and just 11 errors for a .267 hitting percentage.

Maryland Eastern Shore's unselfish offense allowed for three double-digit kill performances, while their all-around defense allowed for two double-figure dig performances. Maline Vaitai and Samantha Chukwura collected 11 kills apiece, while Kaveigna Lea'Aetoa added 10 for 32 of the Hawks' 42. Rebecca Prado and Jingqiao Li each contributed 10 digs to account for 20 of the Hawks' 39.

For the complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com

Late Rally Not Enough as NSU Falls to Delaware State, 3-2

NORFOLK, Va. - Even with the crowd behind them, the Norfolk State was unable to finish off Delaware State as the Spartans fell, 3-2, Saturday evening in the Spartan Invitational at Joseph Echols Hall.

Down 2-1, NSU rallied with a thrilling 29-27 win in the fourth set and had momentum in the fifth, but the Hornets took control late to win, 15-9. NSU won the first set, 25-23, before Delaware State won the next two sets, 25-18 and 25-21.

The loss dropped NSU to 5-11 on the season, while Delaware State improved to 7-8.

Freshman Noelle Eagles tied her school record with 30 digs as part of a very strong defensive effort by the Spartans. NSU totaled 90 digs as a team, topped this season only by the 98 the team had against UNC Greensboro Aug. 28 when Eagles first set the school record.

The effort was also the second-most digs the team has had since late 2007.

Sophomore Charlotte Armstead continued her strong play on the day with a career-high 19 kills along with six blocks. Sophomore Ellica Morris totaled 13 kills, while freshman Arielle Knafel posted a double-double with 11 kills and 20 digs. Junior Nicole Kessner totaled 42 assists on the day as well.

NSU hit .083 for the match, compared to .182 for the Hornets, who also committed just 24 attack errors compared to the 42 for NSU. The Spartans did have the slight edge in blocks, 8-7, and digs, 90-85, while the Hornets had a 5-2 advantage in service aces.

Jessica Croucher had 16 kills to lead the Hornets, while Sonja Banicevic proved why she's the MEAC leader in digs after totaling 33. Martina Ferrari handed out 44 assists and also added 17 digs.

For the complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com