TEMPE, ARIZ. – During day one of the Residence Inn Invitational, the North Carolina Central University volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-14) match to Pepperdine inside Wells Fargo Arena, on Friday, Sept. 19, in Tempe, Ariz.

The first set between the Eagles and the Waves saw 10 ties and seven lead changes with NCCU claiming the opening point off of a Denni Johnson (Ashburn, Va.) kill.
The Eagles led by as many as three during the set, while the 10th tie came as NCCU knotted the score at 13.

With Pepperdine in control of the offensive momentum, the Eagles battled back within one on a Kelly Rossip (Port Charlotte, Fla.) kill; NCCU trailing 20-19.

The Waves took a 5-1 run to finish out the first set on top, 25-20.

 Although the second set played witness to four ties, NCCU was never able to gain the advantage, falling 25-18.

Similar to the second, the third set remained in favor of the Waves as they captured the 3-0 match victory over the Eagles.

Johnson, Kelsey Murphy (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and Da'sha Brown (Gaston, S.C.) headed the offense for NCCU each collecting five kills during the match, while rookie Paige Phillips (Birmingham, Ala.) directed the Eagles offensive effort dished a team-best 10 helpers.

Defensively, Phillips finished a dig shy of her third double-double with nine. Marilyn Sherbondy (Fayetteville, N.C.) added nine additional digs while Ashley McCarthy (Elmont, N.Y.) led the match with four total blocks, three solo

NCCU returns to the hardwood Saturday, Sept. 20, as the Eagles take on the nationally-ranked No. 8 Colorado State Rams at 3 p.m. EST and the No. 18 ranked, host, Arizona State Sun Devils at 8 p.m. EST.