Sept. 19, 2009

Final Stats

ORANGEBURG, S.C. - The North Carolina Central University Eagles split a pair of matches on Saturday, where they fell to tournament-host South Carolina State in five sets before dominating Alabama State in a 3-0 victory to conclude the South Carolina State Spikefest. NCCU improved to 2-13 on the season.

Belinda Behncke-Biney was named to the All-Tournament Team after her stellar performance at the outside hitter position. The junior had 57 kills and hit .195 in the tournament, while contributing six aces, 12 digs and six blocks. She led the Eagles on offense in both matches, recording double-digit kills with 18 and 16, respectively.

In day two action of the tournament, NCCU looked like a different team than the one that showed up on Friday. In the first match, the Eagles jumped on the Bulldogs, winning the first two sets to take a 2-0 lead in the match. The Eagles rode a 6-0 run to slip past the Bulldogs with a 25-23 victory in the first set. Three straight blocks and a kill would end the set.

In the second set, the Eagles closed the set out with a 12-5 run, scoring the last 3-of-4 points with the last point coming off a block by Courtney Williams and Avaniki Campbell. NCCU took the set with a 25-18 victory over South Carolina State, which gave them a 2-0 lead in the match and just one win away from clenching the match.

South Carolina State refused to let NCCU get away that easily. The Eagles and the Bulldogs battled in the third set with seven tie scores and three lead changes. The Eagles led the majority of the set, but a 2-0 run would tie the set at two apiece and it was all the Bulldogs needed to spark their momentum. NCCU called a timeout to try to focus, but South Carolina State took the lead at 20-19 and never looked back. A kill by Behncke-Biney put the Eagles within two, but they couldn't quite get out in front, allowing the Bulldogs to slip by, 25-22.

The fourth set was just as close with the Bulldogs jumping out in front from the first serve. NCCU never had the opportunity to take control with the only tie score coming at 1-1. From that point on, the home team had the advantage. NCCU inched their way closer and closer, scoring four straight points to force a Bulldog timeout. A kill by Shantel Moore cut the deficit to two with the Bulldogs up, 22-20. South Carolina State finished the set off with a 4-1 run that would tie the match at 2-2.

Going into the final set, it was do or die. South Carolina State scored the first point, but a service error would put the Eagles on the board. A 1-1 tie marked one of four tie scores that would take place throughout the set. With the Eagles down one at 5-4, a kill by Sashalee Wallen tied the set at 5-5, but that was as close as the Eagles would get. The Bulldogs took control and went on a 5-0 run, which forced NCCU to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Eagles halted the Bulldogs' run for one play to close the gap to four, 10-6. A 5-0 run gave the Bulldogs the win, not allowing the Eagles to score another point.

The Eagles hit .085 with 41 kills and 31 errors. Behncke-Biney had 18 of the Eagles' kills, followed by Moore with nine and Campbell with seven. Campbell hit an impressive .429 and earned a career-high eight blocks. Cara Hill and Kiara Brown split the Eagles' assists with 14 and 18, respectively. Raven King led the Eagles' defensive efforts with a team-high 13 digs, which tied her career-high. Wallen added a career-high six blocks with three being solo, while Williams, who was celebrating her 19th birthday, collected a career-high five blocks.

NCCU was consistent on the net once again, continuing their success in blocks. The Eagles had 30 blocks; four solo and 26 assisted, while South Carolina State was held to only eight.

In their second match of the day, the Eagles showed no fatigue. NCCU battled a scrappy Alabama State team, but the Eagles proved to be the stronger competitor, clenching their second win of the season after slipping by the Hornets in three -straight sets.

Alabama State put on a fight, barely allowing the Eagles to fly by them. The Eagles hit an impressive .232 in the match with 40 kills and only 18 errors on 95 total attacks. Behcnke-Biney led the way with a match-high 16 kills off a .323 hitting percentage. Moore and Campbell each added nine kills to contribute to the Eagles' offense. Campbell hit a .412, while Moore earned a .238 hitting percentage.

NCCU had five aces with Behcnke-Biney and Campbell leading in that category with 3 and 2, respectively. King was the defensive force for the Eagles, adding a team-high 12 digs. Once again, the Eagles dominated on the net, outnumbering the Hornets in blocks, 16-4. Campbell led the way with five blocks, followed by Moore, Williams and Wallen with three.

They held the Hornets to a .212 hitting percentage with 39 kills and 18 errors. The Eagles outplayed the Hornets, defeating them in every category, including assists. NCCU had 38 assists with Brown earning 34.

The Eagles hit .200 in the first set with 13 kills and seven errors. Alabama State led most of the set until a 4-0 run by the Eagles tied the set at 19-19. The Hornets jumped ahead by one, but the Eagles quickly answered back to tie the score at 20. From that point on, it was all about the Eagles, who stayed in control for the rest of the set. A 5-3 Eagle run would close the set as the Eagles slipped by the Hornets, 25-22.

With a1-0 advantage in the match, the Eagles looked to stay in control, but Alabama State wouldn't let NCCU have it easy. For most of the set, the two teams exchanged point-for-point with 12 tie scores until the teams decided to alternate every two points. At the 18-18 mark, the Eagles had had enough and rode a 7-2 run to the end, closing out the set at 25-20, just one set shy of the victory.

It seemed that the third set would be a repeat of the second set as both teams fought hard for the win. After a 1-1 tie, the Eagles took control, leading by as many as three before the Hornets would tie the score at six. Between the first tie at 1-1 and the last tie of 23-23, the score was tied 11 times with each team alternating leads. After the 9-9 tie, the Eagles trailed for much of the set and battled back to take control.

NCCU trailed by one, 23-22 and tied the score at 23, which forced an Alabama State timeout. A Behncke-Biney kill would put the Eagles one point away from the win, which forced another Hornet timeout. The Eagles, determined to take home the win, finished the set with a block by Wallen and Behncke-Biney, which gave them a 25-23 advantage, clenching the win. NCCU earned their second win and snapped their 13-match losing streak.

The Eagles will return to the hardwood next weekend when they host the NCCU Volleyball Tournament, which will take place Sept. 25-26. Friday's games will be played in the Walker Complex and Saturday's games will take place in McLendon-McDougald Gym. The Eagles will face off with Winston-Salem State, Hampton, North Carolina A&T and Delaware State.

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