DURHAM, N.C. - The University of North Carolina at Wilmington (7-13) used a powerful defense to halt the offensive attack of North Carolina Central University (6-20) Tuesday night as the Seahawks rallied from two sets down to defeat the Eagles, 3-2, in volleyball action at McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium in Durham, N.C.
NCCU showed confidence and promise as they pushed through to take a 2-0 advantage with just one set standing in the way of its victory. UNCW had another plan as they came out of the 10:00 break as a different team. The Eagles lost momentum and fell by scores of 25-23, 25-22, 11-25, 16-25 and 10-15, dropping to 6-20 on the year.
Belinda Behncke-Biney grabbed her fourth consecutive double-digit kill outing with a team-high 15 kills to lead the Eagles’ offensive efforts. She also collected nine digs and dropped in four service aces. Setting up the feisty NCCU offense was freshman Jzima-Malaki Kalao with a match-high 43 assists.
Junior Alexis John put on an all-around performance for the Eagles in her return to the court after an injury left her sidelined for awhile. She hit .375 on the day with nine kills, while serving as the Eagles’ defensive leader with 10 digs. She was accompanied by Maritsann Sinclair with nine kills and Raven King with 10 digs.
The Eagles, who are known for their consistency along the net, struggled to get their blocking game going as they notched just five blocks on the day, while the Seahawks dominated in that category with 13 blocks as they were led by Emily Mohrman with five assisted and a solo. Sashalee Wallen led NCCU with two assisted and a solo.
UNCW held NCCU to a .111 clip with 52 kills and 35 errors, while the Eagle defense struggled to keep the Seahawks off the board as UNCW hit .267 with 54 kills and just 18 errors. The Eagles were out-numbered in every category, except assists with the Eagles holding the 46-43 advantage.
The Seahawks put on a pretty well balanced performance on both sides of the net, but their main threat was Kelli Clear, who notched a double-double with 15 kills and a match-high 18 digs. She was one of two UNCW student-athletes to record double-figure kills as Christi Laite led the way with 19.
Pacing the Seahawk offense was junior setter Kelsey Bendig, who also contributed on defense, notching a double-double with 38 dishes and 11 digs. Accompanying Clear and Bendig on defense was Haley Collins with 10 digs, marking three UNCW student-athletes to record double-digit digs on the night.
Contributing to UNCW’s strong blocking presence was Courtney Porter with five assisted blocks, followed by Bendig and Laite with four assisted blocks apiece. Samantha Seifert added two assisted and a solo. From behind the service line, the Seahawks managed to drop in nine aces with three coming from both Clear and Collins.
The Eagles claimed the first set with a tight 25-23 win that saw 14 tie scores and five lead changes as NCCU put on its best performance of the night, hitting .516 with 17 kills and committing just one error in 31 attempts. Sinclair earned six of her nine kills in the first set as she led the Eagles’ powerful attack. NCCU led for the majority of the set as UNCW took its first lead at the 0-1 mark and then took control at the 18-17 mark off a kill by Laite. Its third and final lead came at the 22-21 mark, but the Eagles stopped them in their tracks as they went on a 4-1 run to close the set out with the last two points coming off a Sinclair kill and a UNCW attack error.
NCCU claimed a 25-22 triumph over UNCW in the second set as they jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead to open the set and remained in control for most of the set as fans witnessed eight tie scores and four lead changes. UNCW knotted the set at 14 and took control of the set at 15-14. NCCU was forced to fight back as they managed to tie the set once more at 19-19, while using their offensive power to take the final lead. The Eagles rode a 6-3 run to the finish line as they took a 2-0 lead in the match going into intermission.
Unfortunately, as the Eagles returned from break, they faced a different UNCW team as the Seahawks jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back. NCCU trailed the entire set without ever tying the score. UNCW held the Eagles below zero in hitting as they managed to get just four kills. The Seahawks cruised to a 25-11 win as they combined for a .300 hitting percentage after taking advantage of 11 NCCU attack errors.
A powerful blocking game from the Seahawks showed the Eagles’ struggles as UNCW notched five total blocks in the set, forcing 12 Eagle attack errors and holding the Eagles under zero in hitting percentage once again. The Seahawks weren’t totally on their game as NCCU allowed just seven kills and held them to a .154.UNCW pushed past NCCU for a 25-16 win in a set that saw three tie scores and two lead changes.
As the Seahawks forced a deciding set five, it wasn’t pretty for the host as NCCU struggled to find the momentum that it possessed in the first two sets. UNCW took a 3-0 lead to open the set. The Seahawks used a .296 attack percentage to glide past the Eagles, 15-10, not allowing NCCU to tie or take the lead.
UNCW improved to 7-13 on the season, while NCCU dropped to 6-20. The Seahawks evened the all-time series between UNCW and NCCU at 5-5 with the Seahawks having claimed the last five out of six matches.
The Eagles will enjoy a week-long break before they head to Spartanburg, S.C., for their final non-conference match of the regular season. NCCU looks to regroup as they head to the Palmetto State to battle the University of South Carolina Upstate on Wednesday, Oct. 20 with first serve set for 6 p.m. at Converse College.
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.
