Sept. 11, 2009

Final Stats

ROCK HILL, S.C. - North Carolina Central University struggled offensively, collecting 20 errors that eventually cost them the match, falling to the Bears, 3-0, in the Eagles' second game of their doubleheader at the Hilton Garden Inn Invitational at Winthrop University.

NCCU had 25 kills and 20 errors on 102 attempts, which gave them a .049 hitting percentage. Morgan State capitalized on NCCU's errors, dominating them in just about every category. The Eagles had 24 assists and two service aces with Belinda Behncke-Biney claiming both aces. Kiara Brown had 22 of the Eagles' 24 assists, while Shantel Moore provided the other two.

The Eagles had a better defensive performance than the Bears, collecting 51 digs and six blocks. Aurora Baker recorded a team-high 13 digs, setting a new career-high. Baker beat out her previous career-high of eight digs set in the earlier match. Brown also sat in double-digits for digs with 10.

Moore led the team in kills and blocks with eight and three, respectively. She hammered a .273 hitting percentage and added four digs on defense. Her partner in crime, Avaniki Campbell, was right behind her with seven kills and two blocks. She added five digs on defense and hammed a team-high .267.

NCCU sophomore Alexis John made a huge impact on defense for the Eagles. She recorded a career-high seven digs in the match. Defensively, the Eagles forced 13 errors and outnumbered Morgan State in the digs column.

Morgan State was led by Erin Cox, the sole member of the Bears team to hit in double-digits. She recorded 18 kills and earned a .255 hitting percentage. Cox had help from Christa Rogers, who collected 31 assists. Defensively, the Eagles had two student-athletes record double-digit digs. Dina Beamon tallied a team-high 15 digs, while Ivanti Bush tallied 10.

Errors were costly for the Eagles in the first set, which forced the Eagles to hit .091. Morgan State capitalized on the Eagles' errors, hitting .257 in the set. Moore hit a .375 with four kills to lead the Eagles on offense, while Baker had four digs to anchor the Eagles' defense.

NCCU got on the scoreboard first after Behncke-Biney opened the set with a kill, but Morgan State would score the next five points to take a 5-1 lead, which forced the Eagles to take a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Bears continued to stay in control, scoring the next four points to go on a 9-0 run before the Eagles put another point on the board. The Bears' dominance would continue, not allowing the Eagles to get a tie or the lead, eventually claiming a 25-17 win.

The Eagles played much better in the second set, hitting .242 with 12 kills and only four errors. NCCU trailed in the first few points of the set but eventually reached a tie. A kill by Campbell put the Eagles up 7-6, which was the first and only lead in the match for NCCU. That lead was surrounded by seven tie scores. It was a back-and-forth battle with both teams battling for a win. Morgan State overpowered the Eagles at the end to claim the win.

Morgan State scored the first two points of the third set before a kill by Campbell put the Eagles on the board. Down, 1-3, Behncke-Biney put the Eagles within striking distance, but the Bears quickly answered with a 5-0 run, which forced the Eagles to call a timeout. NCCU was able to cut the deficit to three at 13-10, but wasn't able to get over the hump. Morgan State stayed in control, not allowing the Eagles get close to a victory. The Bears closed the set with eight straight points to take the set and the match.

NCCU dropped to 1-9 on the season, while the Bears improve to 4-8. The Eagles will return to the hardwood on Saturday, Sept. 12 to conclude the Hilton Garden Inn Invitational. NCCU will take on tournament-host Winthrop at 1 p.m. Live statistics will be available for the match.

For more information on NCCU Volleyball, visit the official website of NCCU Athletics at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.