Photo by David Sierra


Box Score | Updated Bracket | Championship Central


WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 19, 2021 – North Carolina Central needed four sets to pull out the win on Friday in the quarterfinal round of the 2021 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Volleyball Championship in Burr Gymnasium, but the Eagles defeated Maryland Eastern Shore 3-1 (25-20, 17-25, 26-24, 25-17).
 
The No. 4 Eagles (11-13) advanced to Saturday’s 5 p.m. semifinal against top seed Howard.
 
MEAC Setter of the Year Lauren Janok recorded a double-double, her MEAC-best 13^th of the season, as she racked up 30 assists and 10 digs.
 
First Team All-MEAC honoree Ammaarah Williams led the way on offense with 14 kills, hitting .419 after recording just one error in 31 swings. Celene Morris added 11 kills and Arlanda Faulkner led the Eagles’ defense with 18 digs.
 
The Eagles hit .448 in the first set, committing just three errors as a team in the first stanza. Williams had five kills in the opening set and Faulkner added four. NCCU led that set by as much as 15-8 after a Faulkner ace, before Eastern Shore got back within five.
 
The Hawks took the momentum in the second set, leading by as many as nine – 20-11 after a Maria Cruz kill – and rode that to take the set and tie the match.
 
Maryland Eastern Shore then jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the third set before the Eagles responded with an 11-6 spurt to take a 13-12 lead after an ace from Abby Vacha. The Hawks led late, up 22-21, but the Eagles battled back and had set point twice before a Williams kill gave them the set.
 
The back-and-forth continued early into the fourth set, with the score tied at 8-all. But NCCU scored the next four points to get some separation, and the gap held to the end of the set, when Vacha registered a kill to clinch the match.
 
Marina Cruz led the Hawks (12-14) with 20 kills and 11 digs.