DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University volleyball team clinched its first victory of the 2010 season Saturday night as they concluded the Hilton RTP/NCCU Volleyball Tournament with a nail-biting 3-1 win over Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe Delaware State University in McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium.

The Eagles, who kicked off their first season as MEAC members in July, faced their first conference opponent in the Hornets as they proved that the can stand strong in conference play. NCCU improved to 1-4 on the season after coming from behind to cruise by Delaware State by scores of 22-25, 25-11, 37-35 and 25-16.

“This win is big for us,” said NCCU head coach Georgette Crawford-Crooks. “It is very precious to me, knowing that with us coming in this year with a veteran team, in the sense of us knowing each other a little bit more and adding three strong players to our program, that it has made a big difference. We really wanted this win and not just for volleyball, but for the athletic department, the athletics director, the chancellor and the university. It says a lot about NCCU moving into the MEAC.”

Belinda Behncke-Biney was named to the All-Tournament Team after her performance over the two-day affair. She topped the weekend off with her first double-double of the season with 16 kills and 16 digs, proving to be too much for the Hornets to handle. Aside from her power on the outside, the senior added two service aces.

Kingston, Jamaica, native Maritsann Sinclair contributed a career-high 10 kills in the match, while collecting eight digs on the defensive end. Her .143 clip tied her with Alexis John as the Eagles’ third leading hitter. John made a significant effort on defense with six digs of her own. 

NCCU was fierce on the net as they recorded a match-high 10 blocks. The Eagle blocking game stayed consistent as three Eagles anchored the Eagle’s strength on the net. Freshman Kalin Russell, junior Sashalee Wallen and senior Shantel Moore combined for 12 blocks as they each collected four, including a solo from Russell.

Freshman Jzima-Malaki Kalao, the second Eagle to take home an All-Tournament Team honor, contributed on all sides of the ball as she collected a match-high 37 assists and a service ace. Her defensive efforts were just as strong as she totaled five digs and three blocks.

Leading the team’s defensive efforts was junior Raven King, who totaled a match-high 22 digs. She combined with Behncke-Biney for 38 of the Eagles’ 61 digs. It was King’s best performance to date and three away from her career-high 25 digs, which she recorded last season.

“The difference between the team that was on the court tonight and the team that was on the court previously was that the whole team played and contributed,” continued Crawford-Crooks. “Belinda was the only one that was putting the balls down, and we needed everyone else to step into their roles on offense and defense. And tonight, we did just that. It is big for us when everybody steps on the court and makes a contribution.”

NCCU put on its best all around performance of the tournament with 49 kills, 42 assists and 10 service aces on the offensive end. The defense totaled 61 digs and 10 total blocks, while forcing 36 Hornet errors. Delaware State recorded 40 kills and 29 assists, while notching 63 digs and 13 blocks.

The Hornets were led by the power of Jessica Barnes, who hit .161 with a team-high 10 kills. She also collected four blocks. Delaware State had three student-athletes record double-digit digs as Ashley Herman, Jessica Croucher and Sonja Banicevic collected 11, 11 and 17 digs, respectively. Their blocking game was anchored by Herman and Martina Ferrari with five blocks apiece.

Delaware State claimed the first set 25-22, but that was the only taste of victory that they would see as the Eagles won the next three to claim a 3-1 win. The Hornets dropped to an even 2-2 on the season with the loss.

The Eagles will be back in action on Wednesday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. when they host the Spartans of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in McDougald-McLendon Gym. UNCG holds a 2-0 advantage in the series and looks to keep their winning streak alive. The Spartans enter Wednesday’s match with a 4-0 mark after claiming the Spartan Classic title in Norfolk, Va., this weekend.

“Going into Wednesday’s match, I want us, as a program, to take into that match the perseverance that we had tonight and how we pushed throughout the game,” added Crawford-Crooks. “In the third set, we battled through to take the set 37-35, which showed that we really wanted it. Right now, pushing to finish is the biggest thing that we, as a team, need to work on and continue to do to be successful.”

For more information on Eagles Volleyball or up-to-date information and statistics, visit the official website of NCCU Athletics at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.

2010 Hilton RTP/NCCU Volleyball All-Tournament Team
Sonja Banicevic, Delaware State
Belinda Behncke-Biney, North Carolina Central
Tyler Cockrell, Gardner-Webb
Amanda Hill, Charleston Southern
Patty Jarmoc, UTEP
Allison Johnson, Elon
Jzima-Malaki Kalao, North Carolina Central
Caroline Lemke, Elon
Megan McDonald, Delaware State
Amy Nokes, Charleston Southern
Melissa Toth, UTEP
Laura Wilcox, Gardner-Webb

Most Valuable Player: Sarah Schermerhorn, Elon