Box Score North Carolina Central vs. Bethune-Cookman

DURHAM, N.C. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) – In spite of three maroon and gray student-athletes attaining season-high accolades, the Eagles of North Carolina Central University could not overpower the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman in a five set (26-24, 19-25, 24-26, 25-22, 15-12) loss on Friday, Nov. 4 in McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium.

NCCU senior Emanuelle Santos continues to pace the Eagles’ offense, and during Friday’s contest Santos lead the squad with a season-high 28 kills on 52 attempts and only seven errors.  Freshman Dayanna Arrufat broke her current dig record by gathering a season-high 20 digs in the loss, while senior Shantel Moore provided a season-high 15 kills and a season-high nine digs on the night.

Maroon and gray sophomore Jzima-Malaki Kalao and Alice Genna shared the setting effort with Kalao delivering 39 assists and Genna distributing 21, as senior Tasha-Gaye Richards assisted on two blocks and collected one solo block.

The mighty maroon collectively amassed 70 kills, five service aces, 62 digs and four team blocks.

Janeen Davis guided the Wildcats offense with the junior achieving a double-double with 25 kills and 16 digs.  Krysta Gardner assisted in the offensive effort with 18 kills, while Aubrianna Curtis allocated 44 assists.  Gardner also found success from the serving line with five service aces in the win, as Linda Nwabuko assisted on two blocks and gathered two solo blocks.

B-CU achieved the win with 57 kills, six service aces, 50 digs and six team blocks.

The Wildcats initiated the first set of play with confidence, quickly cruising to a four-point lead with a score of 10-6 forcing the first NCCU timeout of the match.  The Eagles returned to the court going on a 5-3 run to close the margin to two and compelling B-CU to take its first timeout.

After the timeout, the Eagles continued to show their determination by going on a 10-6 and taking the lead 21-20.  NCCU retained the lead until the two squads were tied at 24 apiece, and with three maroon and gray errors, B-CU clutched a 26-24 set one win.

Set two commenced with a different tone.  The two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference squads went point-for-point in the early stages of the set, until NCCU jumped to a nine-point lead and never looked back.  The mighty maroon outscored the visiting squad 15-9 and forced Wildcats to a match-low nine kills on 30 attempts and eight errors for a set two 25-19 NCCU win.

Following a 10-minute intermission, the Eagles hit the court still thriving off of their set two win, but the difference was the B-CU effort.  The two squads fought through 10 ties and four lead changes and with both squads gridlocked at 24-24.  B-CU took a another timeout at the defining mark, but an attack error by Davis and solo block Richards delivered the set-three win to the Eagles.

Set four of the match continued with high-level competitive play, both squads hit in double figures and B-CU committing fewer errors than NCCU. 

While both squads tied on seven occasions early on and once each team was tied at 10 apiece, the Wildcats kicked up its offense and paced to a three-point lead.  After two NCCU timeouts and one Bethune-Cookman timeout, B-CU maintained a two-point lead and utilized that small cushion to attain a set-four 25-22 win.

The final deciding set appeared to be in the Eagles favor, with the Eagles taking the pivotal eighth point with a score of 8-6.  But, with two maroon and gray errors and two B-CU kills, the Wildcats took the lead with a score of 10-9.

The visiting Florida foes went on a 5-3 run to seal the exhilarating five-set contest with a score of 15-12.
NCCU drops to 3-23 on the season, while B-CU Upstate advances to 11-17.

The maroon and gray will conclude its three-match homestand with a 3:00 p.m. match on Sunday, Nov. 6 against Florida A&M. Seniors Tasha-Gaye Richards, Raven King, Shantel Moore, Maritsann Sinclair and Emanuelle Santos will be honored for their dedication to the NCCU Volleyball program.

Visit the official NCCU Athletics website www.NCCUEaglePride.com for up-to-date information on Eagle Volleyball.