Sept. 29, 2009

Final Stats

DURHAM, N.C. - North Carolina Central University put on one of their best defensive performances, but unfortunately Campbell's powerful middle attack was too much for the Eagles to handle, as they slipped by, 3-0, Tuesday night in McLendon-McDougald Gym. Campbell defeated NCCU by scores of 25-23, 25-20 and 27-25.

Nearly 200 people watched the Eagles battle in one of their most aggressive matches of the season, tying a season-best 58 digs. Sophomore libero Raven King notched a match-high 25 digs, setting a new career-high mark. Rachel Lloyd added 11, while freshman right side hitter Courtney Williams set a new career-high with four digs.

Due to the Eagles' intensity on defense, Campbell was forced to bring out their dangerous middle attackers in order to slip by the Eagles, who led in both the first and third sets. The Camels had to fight hard to rally back, defeating the Eagles by only two points in both sets.

NCCU led by as many as six in the first set and looked as if they were in full control at 19-13. Campbell scored four straight points to get within three, but the Eagles never gave up. An aggressive Eagles team continued to battle, staying ahead. The Eagles were up 23-22, just two points shy of the win, until back-to-back kills by Ashley Weers gave the Camels the 25-23 win.

The second set wasn't quite like the first one with the Eagles on the other side. After an 8-8 tie, Campbell began to run with it, riding a 10-4 run to an 18-12 lead. Campbell led by as many as seven. With the Camels up 19-13, the Eagles refused to give up and battled back, but Campbell wouldn't let them within striking distance. The closest the Eagles came was within four before the Camels scored five of the last seven points to defeat the Eagles by five, 25-20.

NCCU led for the majority of the third set, leading by as many as five. The Eagles allowed only four ties before they reached 18, maintaining a solid lead. Even when the Camels managed to tie the set at 19-19, the Eagles kept their composure and continued to battle, forcing the Camels to dig deep inside and rally back. Four more tie scores took place until 24-24. A kill by Williams put the Eagles ahead 25-24, but the Camels answered with a kill by Bendy to tie the set at 25. Campbell took the set 27-25 after an attack error by Shantel Moore, followed by a service ace by Emily Werner.

NCCU was once again consistent in their blocking game with four total blocks in the match. Senior Avaniki Campbell led the Eagles in blocks with three, while Williams added two. Campbell's blocking game was led by Caitlin Bendy with two.

Belinda Behncke-Biney led the Eagles on offense, hitting .238 with 17 kills and seven errors. Campbell hit above .300 for the fifth time in seven matches. She hit .304 with nine kills and only two errors. Kiara Brown added 33 assists to the Eagles' offense, while Campbell collected three service aces.

As a team, the Eagles hit above their average, recording a .126 hitting percentage with 41 kills. Unfortunately, the Camels forced 25 errors, which deemed costly in the long run for the Eagles. Errors was the only category that the Camels were able to beat the Eagles in.

The Eagles outnumbered the Camels in several categories including digs. Defensively, NCCU recorded 10 more digs than Campbell and tied the Camels in blocks with four. NCCU recorded 41 assists, which is the second most this season, compared to Campbell's 33. The Eagles outscored the Camels 6-2 in service aces, 127-118 in total attacks and 41-40 in kills.

Campbell was led by their two middle hitters, Weers and Bendy. Weers hit .478 with a team-high 12 kills and only one error, while Bendy hit .400 with eight kills and only two errors, making up for half of the Camels' 40 kills. Jordan Reaves led the Camels on defense with 10 digs.

As a team, the Camels hit above their average with a .237 hitting percentage. They improved to 11-5 on the season and are currently riding a three-match winning streak.

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