TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida A&M University (4-11) earned its fourth-straight win Sunday afternoon when they showed why they are the nine-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference volleyball champions as they defeated North Carolina Central University (6-19), 3-0, at the Alfred Lawson, Jr., Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gym.
NCCU’s winning streak was snapped as FAMU controlled the match, defeating the Eagles in perfect fashion by scores of 25-20, 25-22 and 25-21. The Eagles dropped to 6-19 on the season as they continue to struggle in MEAC play, while the Lady Rattlers improved to 4-11 on the season, earning their fourth consecutive victory.
The Eagles finished the day with 33 kills on 102 attempts, 29 assists and four service aces on offense, while collecting 31 digs and seven total blocks on defense. The Lady Rattlers forced 23 NCCU errors. FAMU dominated the Eagles in just about every category with 38 kills, 36 assists, two service aces, 40 digs and eight total blocks, while racking in a .200 hitting percentage. Offensively, FAMU tallied just 19 errors.
Junior middle hitter Sashalee Wallen put on an outstanding all-around performance for NCCU, contributing on all sides of the ball. The Kingston, Jamaica, native finished with a .312 clip, six kills, one assist, three service aces, one dig and four blocks, including two solo. She led the Eagles in service aces and blocks.
Leading the way for the Eagles was senior Belinda Behncke-Biney, who notched her third consecutive double-figure kill outing, with 11 kills. The Hamburg, Germany, native has collected double-digit kills in 16-of-25 matches this season, including four 20-plus outings. She also added seven digs and two blocks.
Pacing the NCCU offense was freshman Jzima-Malaki Kalao with 27 assists. Also contributing a great deal on offense were juniors Maritsann Sinclair with six kills and Emanuelle Santos with five. Santos led the team in hitting percentage with a .556 clip, while adding four digs and two assisted blocks.
Anchoring the Eagle defense was junior Raven King with 11 digs, followed by Behncke-Biney with seven and Santos with four. Tasha-Gaye Richards, Behncke-Biney and Santos each added two blocks to the Eagles’ defensive efforts along the net to contribute significantly as they followed Wallen’s strength and power.
The first set alone was enough to scare the Lady Rattlers as 142 spectators saw eight tie scores and four lead changes. Within the first 18 points, the set saw seven tie scores alone and three lead changes. The last tie score and lead change happened at the 10-10 mark when FAMU knotted the score at 10.
FAMU tied the score at 10 off a Pamela Barrera kill, which sparked a 7-2 run. NCCU managed to stay within striking distance as they cut the Lady Rattler lead to 22-18. However, FAMU refused to back down as they held on to take a 25-20 win and go up one set to none on the Eagles.
The second set was much like the first set as the spectators watched a hitting battle as NCCU notched 13 kills and FAMU notched 14. The second set alone saw six tie scores, but just one lead change. The Eagles jumped out to a quick 3-1 lead, but the Lady Rattlers continued to chip away as they knotted the score at 4-4 off a Barrera kill. An attack error by NCCU freshman Kalin Russell allowed for a 5-4 FAMU lead, its first lead of the set and the final lead change of the game. Even as the Eagles managed to knot the score on four different occasions, they could never quite regain the lead.
A 9-1 run by the Lady Rattlers gave them a 19-11 lead as they ran away with the set. The Eagles managed to put up a fight as they outscored the Lady Rattlers, 6-3, cutting the deficit to five with the score 22-17. A kill from Richards put the Eagles within two as they were down, 24-22, forcing a FAMU timeout. The Lady Rattlers came out of the break with determination as they finished the set with a kill from Maria Ceccarelli, taking a 25-22 win.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, the third set belonged solely to the Lady Rattlers as they kept the Eagles from tying the score or taking the lead. FAMU took control with a quick 10-5 advantage as the Eagles struggled to get ahead. NCCU went on a 7-4 run as a kill by Sinclair put the Eagles within two, 14-12, forcing a Lady Rattler timeout.
For the next 17 plays, NCCU managed to stay within two or three points of FAMU before a FAMU attack error, followed by a service ace from King put the Eagles within one as the scoreboard read 22-21. The Lady Rattlers were forced to call another timeout and after the break, NCCU just couldn’t quite get over the hump as FAMU scored three back-to-back points off a ball handling error, a kill and an attack error to claim a 25-21 win.
FAMU was led by the efforts of Lorin Rucker with 13 kills and six blocks as she anchored the Lady Rattlers on offense and defense. Katherine Huanec followed with eight kills. Diana Gonzalez paced the offense with 35 dishes at the setter position, while Susan Egoavil collected 16 digs to lead the way for FAMU.
NCCU will return to the hardwood on Tuesday, Oct. 12 when they host the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in a 7 p.m. match-up at McDougald-McLendon Gym in Durham, N.C. The Eagles look to regroup and get back on the winning track as they take a break from MEAC action.
For more information on Eagle Volleyball or for up-to-date scores and statistics, visit the official website of NCCU Athletics at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.
