Oct. 4, 2009

Final Stats

HAMPTON, Va. - After dropping the first set by 18 points, the North Carolina Central University Eagles rallied back to win three straight sets, defeating Hampton, 3-1 (8-25, 25-22, 26-24, and 25-19), Sunday night in Holland Gym. The Eagles were forced to win three straight sets after dropping the first set, 25-8, marking their second lowest scoring performance of the season.

A first set loss triggered a NCCU comeback that forced the Eagles to rely heavily on their strengths. The Eagles looked to their power on the net, riding their blocking game to a 3-1 victory. NCCU recorded a match-high seven total blocks with Avaniki Campbell, once again, leading the way with one solo and six assisted blocks.

As a team, the Eagles had 12 assisted blocks and one solo block, which came from Campbell. Hampton struggled to match the Eagles' intensity on the net with only three total blocks. However, the Pirates managed to outnumber the Eagles in every other category. Hampton recorded more kills, more assists, more service aces and more digs than NCCU, but it wasn't enough to grab the win.

Belinda Behncke-Biney notched her second double-double of the season with 11 kills and 10 digs. Campbell contributed significantly on offense hitting above .400 with a .474 hitting percentage with nine kills and zero errors. The Eagles also received help from Shantel Moore and Aqiyla Gomez, who each collected six kills, while Tasha-Gaye Richards tied her career-high five kills to add to the Eagles offense.

Raven King anchored the Eagles' defensive game with a team-high 16 digs, which forced 26 Pirate errors. Hampton tallied 41 kills off 128 attempts. Mianna Armstrong and Ivana Suput accounted for more than half of Hampton's digs with 19 and 12, respectively.

The Pirates' offense was anchored by Mariah Baylor and Aaryn Harrison with nine kills apiece. Lihi Elkayam contributed to the offense with 34 assists. Hampton hit .117 and recorded nine service aces. On defense, the Pirates tallied 54 digs.

From the first serve, the Eagles seemed unbalanced and unfocused. They scored the first point before an 8-0 run gave Hampton the momentum they needed. NCCU attempted to crawl back in the set with five-straight points to put them within three, but the Eagles would score only two more points with a 16-2 Pirate run that finished the set with a strong Hampton team up one set to none.

With a disappointing first set, the Eagles were determined to fight back. Dropping the first set by 18 points triggered an Eagle comeback. It seemed that the second set was going to be a mirror image of the first with the Eagles getting on the scoreboard first, followed by a 5-1 Pirate run.

NCCU trailed for the majority of the second set. They took their first major lead after an 18-18 tie. They scored four straight points to take a 22-18 lead. Hampton managed to get within two, but the Eagles refused to let them take the lead, scoring the last two points of the set to take a 25-22 win.

The third set was a much better set for the Eagles on both offense and defense. NCCU put on their best performance of the day, hitting .217 with 16 kills and six errors. Unlike the previous two sets, NCCU jumped out to the early lead with three straight points. Hampton answered back to get within one, but the Eagles continued to battle. NCCU's defense was too much for the Pirates who struggled to take control. Hampton took the lead twice, but just enough for a one-point advantage. Both teams battled down to the wire when the Eagles finally closed it out off kill by Moore and a Pirate attack error. A 26-24 win put the Eagles one set away from the match.

NCCU jumped out to an early 3-1 lead. Hampton managed to tie the set twice at 3-3 and 4-4, but that was the closest the Pirates would come to taking the lead. The Eagles' defense was so strong; they never allowed the Pirates to have the lead. Hampton had 12 kills and 12 errors for a zero hitting percentage. NCCU hit .094 with eight kills and five errors, which was good enough for a 24-19 victory.

The Eagles took a 3-1 win, repeating their previous match against Hampton a little over a week ago. With the win, NCCU improved to 7-16 on the season, while Hampton dropped to 5-12. The Eagles continued their dominance over the Pirates, increasing their advantage to a perfect 5-0 in the series.

NCCU will return home to host Coppin State on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. For more information on Eagles volleyball, visit the official website of NCCU Athletics at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.