The first weekend of conference action didn't go quite as expected in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division, giving perrenial contender Florida A&M an early leg up as the league heads into its second weekend of conference play.

Friday's MEAC openers saw North Carolina Central surprise Southern Division preseason favorite Bethune-Cookman in five sets at McDougald-McLendon Arena, a match in which Arlanda Faulkner had 21 kills. For the Lady Wildcats, Jordan Jefferson racked up 21 kills and 23 digs.

North Carolina A&T State then defeated Bethune-Cookman in straight sets in Greensboro, N.C. on Sunday, leaving the Lady Wildcats sitting at 0-2 in league play. Florida A&M, on a three-match winning streak, is 2-0 in conference play after four-set wins on the road over both the Aggies and the Lady Eagles.

Also in the Southern Division, South Carolina State got into the win column on Friday with a three-set win over Savannah State.

Howard showed why it is the three-time defending MEAC champion this past weekend, opening Northern Division play with four-set wins over Morgan State and Coppin State. Maryland Eastern Shore dominated in its lone match of the weekend, recording its best hitting percentage since 2008 in a three-set win over Delaware State. Preseason Player of the Year Lucia Babic hit .700 in the match, racking up 15 kills and just one error.

Morgan State and Coppin State are both 1-1 in MEAC play after the first weekend, with both squads picking up their wins over Norfolk State.

Babic and Courteney Pitt of North Carolina A&T State were named MEAC Co-Players of the Week, while Faulkner repeated as Rookie of the Week. North Carolina A&T State's Andrea Laboy-Rivera and Morgan State's Monette Daniels shared the Defensive Specialist of the Week honor, and Howard's Tamia Dockery was named Setter of the Week.

Pitt is currently ranked in the top 50 among all Div. I players (45th) in kills per set with 4.08, while Morgan State's Cristen Coryatt is ranked 33rd in the nation in both total kills (245) and points (246.0).

Zoe McBride and Roi Wallace, both of Morgan State, rank 22nd in the nation in service aces with 27.

Savannah State and South Carolina State will have non-conference matches on Tuesday, and the MEAC slate will kick off on Thursday with a match-up between rivals Morgan State and Coppin State in the latter's Physical Education Complex.

The other 10 MEAC squads will be in action on Friday -- highlighted by the first meeting between rivals Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Fla. (which will also be the Lady Wildcats' 2018 home opener). Sunday will see six matches, but two of them (FIU at Bethune-Cookman and Rider at Coppin State) will be non-conference affairs.


Tuesday, Oct. 2
South Carolina State at Gardner-Webb, 6 p.m.
Georgia Southern at Savannah State, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 4
Morgan State at Coppin State, 6 p.m.*

Friday, Oct. 5
Florida A&M at Bethune-Cookman, 4 p.m.*
North Carolina A&T State at South Carolina State, 6 p.m.*
North Carolina Central at Savannah State, 6 p.m.*
Norfolk State at Maryland Eastern Shore, 6 p.m.*
Howard at Delaware State, 7 p.m.*

Sunday, Oct. 7
FIU at Bethune-Cookman, 1 p.m.
North Carolina A&T State at Savannah State, 1 p.m.*
North Carolina Central at South Carolina State, 1 p.m.*
Rider at Coppin State, 2 p.m.
Howard at Maryland Eastern Shore, 3 p.m.*
Norfolk State at Delaware State, 3 p.m.*

*denotes MEAC match