MEAC Tournament Central / 2011 NCCU Season Statistics
DURHAM, N.C. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) – It has been five years since the North Carolina Central University volleyball team has been eligible to participate in a conference tournament. But after such a long gap the opportunity for a conference title is within grasp as the Eagles venture to Baltimore, Md., for the 2011 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament hosted by Coppin State University on Nov. 18-20.
On the first day of competition, NCCU will take on the Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore at 1 p.m. as the second match on Friday, Nov. 18. Depending on the Eagles success, the squad will face the winner of the first match held on Friday, consisting of the Bulldogs of South Carolina State and the Pirates of Hampton on Saturday, Nov. 19 at noon.
The three-day event welcomes the top four seeds from the northern and southern divisions. In the North, Maryland Eastern Shore enters as the No. 1 seed at 12-0 in MEAC play. Morgan State is 8-4 as the second seed, followed by Hampton at 7-5 in the number three slot, while Howard enters as the fourth and final seed at 5-7.
In the south, Florida A&M is 9-1 and takes the No. 1 seed. Defending MEAC champions South Carolina State enters as the second seed with a record of 8-2 in the MEAC. With a league record of 6-4 Bethune-Cookman slides into the number three slot, as the Eagles take the fourth slot with a record of 5-5 in MEAC competition.
The mighty maroon enter the MEAC Championship play with a celebrated championship history. Prior to NCCU’s Division I transition, the maroon and gray captured three-consecutive Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship titles (2004, 2005 and 2006). The most recent title was under the helm of head coach Georgette Crawford-Crooks.
This season, NCCU (5-25) hits the Coppin State Physical Education Center coming off a two-game win streak. On Friday, Nov. 11, the mighty maroon trounced the defending 2010 MEAC Champions, South Carolina State in Orangeburg, S.C. In the five-set (13-25, 10-25, 25-13, 25-21, 15-4) victory, NCCU freshman Alice Genna achieved the first double-double of her career with 28 assists and 13 digs, while senior Emanuelle Santos topped the squad in kills with 10. Senior Raven King followed Genna’s effort with 12 digs, while sophomore Kalin Russell assisted on five blocks.
In their last match of the regular season, the Eagles swept the Tigers of Savannah State in three sets, 25-9, 25-5, 25-17 in Savannah, Ga., on Sunday, Nov. 13. Santos, who has been a juggernaut for the Eagles this season, paced the offensive and defensive performance with her eighth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 13 digs. Fellow senior Shantel Moore assisted in the offensive effort with 11 kills, while freshman standout Dayanna Arrufat rounded out the offense with nine kills and Genna delivered 33 assists in the win.
On the season, NCCU’s Arrufat guides the squad with 267 kills (2.67 kills per set), while Santos follows with 221 kills at 2.83 k/s. Sophomore setter Jzima-Malaki Kalao has delivered 532 sets, while freshman Alice Genna contributes to the offensive flow with 333 assists this season. Arrufat also commands the serving line with 24 services aces. In terms of defense, King has collected 56 digs, while senior Tasha-Gaye Richards has blocked 59 attempts.
Collectively, the Eagles have amassed 1061 kills on 2964 attempts, 954 assists, 139 service aces, 1052 digs and 151 total blocks.
Admission for the championship tournament is $7 and $15 for a three-day pass. Admission is free for students with a valid ID and children under the age of 12.
For more information on MEAC Volleyball or other sponsored sports, visit www.MEACSports.com.
Visit the official NCCU Athletics website www.NCCUEaglePride.com for up-to-date information on Eagle Volleyball.
MEAC Post-Season Accolades
2011 Volleyball All-Academic Selection (student-athletes with a 3.0 or better grade point average)
Tasha-Gaye Richards (Kingston, Jamaica)
Kalin Russell (Baldwin, N.Y.)
Maritsann Sinclair (Kingston, Jamaica)
