DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University Eagles (3-16) will take flight as they head to Princess Anne, Md., for a weekend of volleyball action, Oct. 1-2, as they compete in the UMES Hawk Invitational, hosted by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. It will mark the Eagles’ last regular-season tournament of the year.
UMES (8-9) will host the Eagles, along with four other Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) members. Joining NCCU in the six-team tournament field will be Coppin State University (1-12), Hampton University (2-16), Norfolk State University (5-11) and North Carolina A&T State University (2-14).
NCCU will open tournament play on Friday, Oct. 1 with tournament-host UMES at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the Eagles will compete in doubleheader action with Coppin State at 11 a.m. before concluding the weekend with Hampton in a 3:30 p.m. match-up. The Eagles will face Coppin State for the first time this season, while looking to seek revenge on both UMES and Hampton, who defeated the Eagles earlier in the year.
The Eagles have faced four MEAC opponents so far this season with battles against Delaware State, Hampton, Maryland Eastern Shore and South Carolina State. Unfortunately, NCCU has struggled against their fellow members as they currently stand with a 2-4 mark against the MEAC this season. Their two wins came against Delaware State and South Carolina State, although the Bulldogs defeated them earlier in the year.
Coming into this weekend’s match-up, the Eagles should feel pretty confident as they hold series advantages over two of the three teams that they will face in the two-day event. NCCU holds a 6-2 advantage over Hampton with both of their losses coming this season in back-to-back tournament matches, while holding a 2-1 lead over Coppin State. NCCU has never defeated UMES as the Hawks hold a perfect 5-0 lead in the series.
NCCU enters this weekend with a 3-16 mark following a 1-3 finish in the fourth annual NCCU Volleyball Tournament that they hosted last weekend with their victory coming against South Carolina State, where they rallied from two sets down to defeat the Bulldogs, 3-2, in McDougald-McLendon Gym.
The Eagles are anchored by senior outside hitter Belinda Behncke-Biney. She has notched double-figure kills in eight of her last nine matches, including a career-high 27 kills against Hampton. The Hamburg, Germany, native leads the team in four categories with 213 kills, averaging 3.28 per set, 22 service aces and 246.5 points, while standing second in digs with 107 on the season. She has also notched three All-Tournament Team honors.
Contributing to the success of Behncke-Biney is freshman setter Jzima-Malaki Kalao, who has two All-Tournament Team honors of her own. She has dished 456 of the Eagles’ 515 assists, and has been a major contributor on defense with 102 digs and 24 blocks. Junior middle hitter Sashalee Wallen has stepped up her game this season and has become a threat on both sides of the net with 66 kills and a team-high 51 blocks.
Also contributing to the Eagles’ consistent blocking game is freshman Kalin Russell with 38 blocks. Leading NCCU’s defensive efforts is junior defensive specialist Raven King with 176 digs on the season. She is assisted by Behncke-Biney with 107 digs and junior outside hitter Alexis John with 106 digs. The trio combines for 389 of the Eagles’ 694 digs. Kalao accounts for 102.
Coppin State just recently snapped an 11-match losing skid as they defeated La Salle in three straight sets to earn their first victory of the season. They enter this weekend’s action with a 1-12 record following a 3-0 loss to Navy. They have just one student-athlete hitting above .100 on the year and they have struggled to find their offense.
Alexandria Malesick leads the team in hitting percentage with a .153 clip, but the Eagles’ offensive threat is Ashley Saunders, who averages 2.17 kills per set and has amassed 91 kills on the year. She is also their leader in service aces with 14. Contributing to the Eagle offense is Haley Beechler with 220 assists.
On the defensive end, Coppin State is anchored by Tyler Phillips with 128 digs and Saunders with 119. On the net, the Eagles are led by the blocking game of Malesick with 27 blocks and Yolanda Reid with 20.
Hampton, who usually stands as a competitor in the MEAC, is looking to turn its season around as they started the 2010 year off on a rocky road, losing 14 consecutive matches. But, their luck might be changing. The Pirates have won two of their last four matches with both wins coming against the Eagles of NCCU.
The Pirates are 2-16 on the year and are led by local native Aaryn Harrison, who is their offensive threat with 159 kills and 11 service aces. She is also Hampton’s blocking leader with 35 total blocks this season. Her offensive contributor is Lihi Elkayam with 249 dishes. Defensively, Hampton is led by Ivana Suput with 138 digs.
Maryland Eastern Shore has picked its game up over the last week or so as they started off on a slow battle, losing its first three matches in five sets. The Hawks went the first eight matches without a win, which is tough for a team that usually sits among the top of the conference. Lately, the tide has turned for the Hawks as they have won four of their last five and seven of their last 10.
The Hawks stand at 8-9 on the season as they tend to spread their offense around with a balanced offensive attack. UMES has four student-athletes with more than 100 kills on the year and five hitting above .200. Their offensive anchor is Maline Vaitai with 203 kills, followed Zoe Bowens with 195. As a team, the Hawks have 739 kills.
Stephanie Sierra has dished 549 assists to lead the team, while Rebecca Prado and Sierra have shared the defensive duties with 141 and 124 digs, respectively. On the net, the Hawks are led by freshman Kaveigna Lea’Aetoa with 42 total blocks, including 13 solo.
NCCU is currently on a two-match losing skid and they look to end that drought this weekend as they face-off with fellow MEAC members in the two-day event. The Eagles hope to bring home a tournament title and improve to 6-16 on the year as they travel to Princess Anne, Md.
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.
