Match Notes - NCCU at Davidson
DURHAM, N.C. – Following a winless weekend at the Duke Volleyball Invitational Tournament, the North Carolina Central University volleyball team (1-8) looks to rebound as they travel to Davidson, N.C., to face the Wildcats of Davidson College (4-3) on Tuesday, Sept. 14 in Belk Arena with first serve scheduled for 7 p.m.
Tuesday’s matchup will mark the second all-time meeting between NCCU and Davidson in school history. It has been almost exactly 20 years since the Eagles and the Wildcats faced-off on the volleyball court. The two last met on Sept. 15, 1990 in Charleston, S.C., as part of the College of Charleston Tournament. The Wildcats claimed a 3-0 victory to take a 1-0 advantage in the series as the Eagles look to even the score on Tuesday.
The Eagles haven’t fared well against members of the Southern Conference (SoCon). Out of the 12 institutions that make up the SoCon, NCCU has faced The Citadel, Davidson, Elon, UNC Greensboro and Wofford. Against the SoCon, the Eagles hold a disappointing 2-10 record with both of their victories coming against The Citadel.
NCCU heads into Tuesday’s matchup with a 1-8 mark on the season with their lone victory coming against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) foe Delaware State University. The Eagles have totaled 223 kills on 907 attempts with 196 assists. From the service line, they have dropped in 34 aces. On the defensive end, they have notched 310 digs and 48 blocks, showing their strength on the net.
Senior outside hitter Belinda Behncke-Biney, who has earned two All-Tournament Team honors already this season, anchors the Eagles’ offense, leading the team in kills and service aces with 78 and eight, respectively. She has also contributed on the defensive side with 52 digs and nine blocks.
Sashalee Wallen, a junior middle hitter, has made an immediate impact in the starting rotation for the Eagles this season. She is second in kills with 29 and has totaled six aces from behind the service line. The St. Andrew, Jamaica, native is the Eagles’ blocking threat with 21 blocks on the season and has collected seven digs.
Leading the Eagles on defense and controlling the back row is junior libero Raven King, who has a team-high 76 digs on the season. She has also tallied four service aces. Contributing to the Eagles in all aspects of the game is freshman Jzima-Malaki Kalao, who has collected 171 assists, seven kills, five service aces, 39 digs and 11 blocks.
The Davidson Wildcats, a powerful team within the SoCon, comes into the match following a 1-2 weekend at the UTSA Classic in San Antonio, Texas, where they fell to the University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Texas at San Antonio. The Wildcats, who were picked to finish fourth in the SoCon South Division, are 4-3 coming into Tuesday’s match with their other loss coming against James Madison University.
Davidson is hitting .214 on the year with 357 kills, 337 assists and 60 service aces, while maintaining a solid defense that has totaled 341 digs and 46 blocks. They are led by Preseason All-SoCon selection Sarabeth Peele, who has recorded 80 kills on 208 attempts for a .202 clip, while adding 26 digs and seven blocks.
The Wildcat blocking power is controlled by the Benedict sisters. Jorden Benedict leads the way with 22 blocks, while her sister Madison Benedict has totaled 19 blocks.
Jennifer Chamblee anchors the defense away from the net with 82 digs on the season. Davidson has a pair of setters in Hayley Lawson and Ariel Ley, who combine for 297 assists.
NCCU hasn’t had much luck against teams from the state of North Carolina. Out of the nine teams that NCCU has faced this season, four of them are from the Tar Heel State. Unfortunately for the Eagles, they remain winless against teams from the great state of North Carolina and look to end that streak against Davidson. Including the Wildcats, the Eagles still have five more teams left to battle from the Tar Heel State.
Eagle fans will be able to catch all of the action live as Davidson will provide live coverage of the match with live statistics as well as a live video stream through Davidson College Wildcats All-Access. Fans can follow the action through live statistics or purchase the live video stream through www.davidsonwildcats.com.
For more information on Eagle Volleyball or for up-to-date scores and statistics on the NCCU Eagles, visit the official website of NCCU Athletics at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.
