Pierre’s career-high 21 digs lead Bethune-Cookman win over North Carolina Central
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Delicia Pierre had 14 kills and a career-high 21 digs as Bethune-Cookman came from behind to defeat North Carolina Central in a dramatic 3-2 (22-25,16-25,25-22,25-23,15-10) match Sunday afternoon in Moore Gym.
Lauren Turner and Destiny added 12 and 11 kills, respectively, as the Lady Cats (6-13,4-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) won their second straight five-set match and increased their winning streak to four, a first for the program since 2008.
Hazel Ortiz Rosado (47 kills, 16 digs, seven kills) tied the fifth set with a kill that made it 6-6, then reeled four straight points from the service line to give the Lady Cats a 10-6 lead. The Eagles (0-20,0-3) got as close as 11-9 before Bethune-Cookman closed it out with a 4-1 run.
Turner had four kills in the third set as Bethune-Cookman rallied from a 20-12 deficit to extend the match.
Pierre registered nine kills and 15 digs in the final two sets to pace the comeback.
In the fourth set, the Lady Cats saw early leads of 8-1 and 10-3 disappear, but were able to rally from a 22-20 deficit. After tying it a 23-23, kills from Ortiz Rosado and Rhea Simon (nine kills and a career-high 19 digs) helped Bethune-Cookman force a fifth set.
Normarie Rolon and Rechez Lindsay contributed 18 and 16 digs, respectively, to help the Lady Cats go to 4-0 in league play for the first time in program history. This was also the first time Bethune-Cookman has rallied from a two-set deficit since Head Coach Isaac Raphael arrived in 2012.
Coached by former Stetson assistant Nicki Holmes, the Eagles had a match-high 24 kills from Ashley McCarthy.
Bethune-Cookman hosts Florida Gulf Coast Tuesday at 7 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.bcuathletics.com or www.nccueaglepride.com
Lady Pirates notch four-set win over Howard
HAMPTON, Va. – In perhaps the most raucous environment Holland Hall has seen in years, the Hampton University volleyball team dispatched rival Howard 3-1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-17, 25-22) on Sunday afternoon to stay unbeaten in MEAC play.
The Lady Pirates (9-8, 4-0 MEAC) have won four straight matches overall and 13 straight over Howard.
Senior Vendula Strakova recorded yet another double-double, her 11th of the season, leading the team with 22 kills and 19 digs. Seniors Krista Kraskura and Sonja Maksimovic also had double-doubles with 11 kills and 11 digs each.
Junior Allysa Medina added 10 digs, and senior Kitija Megne had 39 assists.
Hampton outhit Howard .190 to .169 and held a 61-58 edge in digs. The Lady Bison (9-9, 2-1 MEAC) held an 11.0-7.0 edge in team blocks and 7-6 in service aces.
Strakova now has 1,413 career kills at Hampton, leaving her 59 kills shy of tying the all-time program record, held by Chavanca Hoskins (1,472 kills from 2003-06).
The Lady Pirates will return to action on Sunday, when they head to Princess Anne, Md. to take on Maryland Eastern Shore at 3 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.hamptonpirates.com or www.hubison.com
Coppin State rallies to knock off Maryland Eastern Shore
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – The Coppin State volleyball team unfurled a rally to remember to enjoy a happy trip home over the Chesapeake Bay and across the scenic Bay Bridge.
In the face of adversity, the Eagles united, stayed strong and trusted each other in winning the last two sets to earn a memorable 3-2 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Northern Division treasure Sunday afternoon at the W.P. Hytche Center.
Coppin State (8-9 overall, 2-2 MEAC North) overcame a 2-1 deficit to even its conference mark. The Eagles and Hawks traded 25-17 wins in the first two sets before UMES took the third game, 25-19, setting up the dramatic ending. Coppin State showcased its character, heart and depth in winning the last two sets, 25-22 and 15-10.
During the victory, junior setter Chelsee Sauni became Coppin State’s all-time leader in assists. Sauni finished with a match-high 48 assists to raise her career mark to 2,505. She surpassed Krystal Williams’ total of 2,497 with her final assist of the fourth set that ended with a Nicole Malave-Adams kill for a 24-22 CSU edge.
Sauni became the second CSU player to establish a program record over the weekend.
Senior Ariel Richard, who had a match-high 19 kills against UMES, became the all-time leader in Coppin history in that category last Friday against Hampton. So for those who are counting at home, Coppin State currently has the all-time program leaders in kills, assists and digs (Gabrielle Otero) all performing at a high-level during this amazing era in its program history.
Junior Cindy Okpegbue had 13 kills for the Eagles and Kandace Thomas added nine kills along with a .465 hitting percentage. Malave-Adams and Maya Horner each had five kills. Otero led the defense with 21 digs while Kendra Ireigbe contributed five blocks.
For the Hawks, Ashley Smith had a team-high 13 kills and Kirsten Fink added 12 kills. Overall, UMES had 57 kills as a team, which was two more than Coppin State. Meanwhile, the setting tandem of Fink (24) and Precious Manu (23) combined for 47 assists. Smith also had 13 digs to lead UMES. She was one of three Hawks to finish with double-digit digs. Haley Robinson recorded seven blocks.
Coppin State returns to action Friday night when it travels to face Delaware State in a match that begins at 7:00 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.coppinstatesports.com or www.umeshawks.com
Delaware State falls to Morgan State in MEAC Contest
DOVER, Del. --- The Delaware State University volleyball team fell to MEAC rival Morgan State 3-0 in a Memorial Hall matinee.
The scores were 25-20, 25-23 and 25-16.
Morgan State won for the fifth time in the last six matches to improve to 9-7 overall and 3-1 in the MEAC. DSU fell to 0-13 and 0-3.
Arianna Hayden led Morgan State with a match-high 17 kills (.324 hitting percentage), while teammate Evely Macedo had 12 kills and nine digs.
Jasmine Jackson topped the Hornets with eight kills on 25 attacks (.160). Freshman Ayanna Lee collected 10 digs for DSU, giving her double figures in digs in three of the last four matches.
Morgan State had 47 kills and 18 errors on 107 attacks for a .271 hitting percentage in the match. Delaware State posted a .188 attack percentage (27/11/85).
The Bears tallied 45 digs, compared to 35 for the Hornets.
Morgan State had 45 assists on its 47 kills. Samantha Prescott had 41 assists for the Bears.
The Hornets will hit the road for their next contest, traveling to Lawrenceville, N.J., to take on Rider. Start time is 7 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com or www.morganstatebears.com