DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University (6-19) looks to regroup and refocus as they return to the nest to prepare for a battle with the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (6-13) in volleyball action on Tuesday, Oct. 12. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. in McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium.
NCCU returns home to host UNCW, in what should be a fan thriller as both teams look for their seventh win of the season. The Eagles are coming off a weekend where they split a pair of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) contests down in the Sunshine State, defeating Bethune-Cookman before falling to Florida A&M.
The Seahawks, on the other hand, are suffering from a three-match losing skid with back-to-back losses to Delaware, James Madison and George Mason. UNCW looks to snap its struggles on Tuesday and take control of the series as they meet NCCU for the third time in program history.
NCCU and UNCW will meet for the third time on Tuesday as the series stands tied at 1-1. The Eagles defeated the Seahawks, 3-2, on Oct. 9, 2007 in Durham, which marked the first-ever meeting. Unfortunately, the Seahawks evened the score with a 3-0 victory over the Eagles on Oct. 23, 2009 in Wilmington.
The Eagles enter Tuesday’s match-up with a 6-19 mark as they look to get on the winning track, soaring into the second half of the season. They are anchored by the strength of senior Belinda Behncke-Biney, who has been a huge threat on the offensive side of the net. She leads the team in five categories, amassing 289 kills, averaging 3.44 per set, 846 attempts, 31 service aces and 333.5 points, while standing second in digs with 146.
Contributing to the Eagle offense is freshman Jzima-Malaki Kalao, who has paced the NCCU offense with 632 assists. She is not only a contributor on offense, but she has added a tremendous amount of help on defense with 136 digs and 28 blocks. She and Behncke-Biney combine for five All-Tournament Team honors.
Assisting Behncke-Biney on offense is junior Maritsann Sinclair, who has stepped her game up a notch, earning a starting spot in the rotation. She stands second in kills with 128, averaging 1.88 per set, while adding 109 digs and 14 blocks in the mix. The Kingston, Jamaica, native accounts for 139.0 of the Eagles’ points.
Keeping the Eagles consistent on the net is junior Sashalee Wallen, who has made an immediate impact in the middle for NCCU. Wallen has shown constant improvement and has become the team’s leading blocker with a team-high 67 blocks, including 10 solo. She also ranks second in service aces with 21 and has collected 92 kills.
Also showing her strength on the net and contributing to the consistent blocking game of the Eagles is freshman Kalin Russell with 51 blocks. Leading the Eagles’ back row defensive efforts is junior Raven King with 234 digs on the season. She is assisted by Behncke-Biney with 146, Kalao with 136 and Sinclair with 109. The quartet combines for 625 of the Eagles’ 902 digs. Junior Alexis John accounts for 106.
As a whole, the Eagles are hitting .086 on the year with 778 kills and averaging 9.26 per set. They have totaled 700 assists, while dropping in 112 service aces. Defensively, they have notched 902 digs and 155.0 blocks.
UNCW enters the match with a 6-13 record and standing at 1-4 in conference play. They have lost seven of their last 10 matches, including four of their last five. The Seahawks are hitting .138 on the season, having amassed 688 kills, 632 assists, 86 service aces, 879 digs and 135.0 blocks.
Leading the way for the Seahawks is senior Kelli Clear, who can get the job done on both offense and defense. She leads UNCW in five categories with 173 kills, averaging 2.58 per set, 546 attempts, 180 digs and 202.0 points. She is accompanied by Emily Mohrman, who has 116 kills with a .265 clip this season.
The Seahawk setting duties are split between Kelsey Bendig and Natalie Lahaie, who combine for 574 of UNCW’s 632 assists with 314 and 260, respectively. Bendig has also collected 113 digs on the defensive side. The Seahawks’ back row defensive efforts are anchored by Clear and Haley Collins with 180 digs apiece.
Defensively, the UNCW blocking game is led by the strength of Kimberly Friedl with 66 blocks on the season. She is assisted by Mohrman with 56 and Clear with 27. Friedl has accumulated eight solo blocks on the year.
UNCW currently stands eighth in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rankings, just ahead of Towson and Hofstra. They were picked to finish the season ninth in the CAA with Delaware taking home the crown.
For more information on Eagle Volleyball or for up-to-date scores and statistics, visit the official website of NCCU Athletic at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.
