DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University volleyball team will most likely need a couple wins this weekend in order to qualify for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament when the Lady Eagles entertain Florida A&M University and Bethune-Cookman University in its final two home matches.
NCCU is tied for fourth place in the Southern Division standings with South Carolina State University (both teams have three league wins). With SCSU holding the tiebreaker over NCCU after sweeping the regular season series, the Lady Eagles will need to win both matches this weekend or win one match and have Savannah State upset the Lady Bulldogs in order to secure the fourth and final playoff spot for the division.
The Lady Eagles match against the Rattlers of Florida A&M on Friday evening will be designated Family Night inside McDougald-McLendon Arena and Sunday's contest will serve as Senior Day with
Marilyn Sherbondy and
Kelly Rossip being recognized just prior to the match at 2 p.m.
MATCH INFORMATION Friday, November 6 at 7:00 PMFlorida A&M at N.C. Central
Durham, N.C. – McDougald-McLendon Arena
LIVE VIDEO ($7.95) |
LIVE AUDIO |
LIVE STATS SERIES: NCCU is still in search of its first win over the Rattlers with FAMU holding a perfect 11-0 ledger against the Lady Eagles (modern era since 2007). FAMU defeated the Lady Eagles in straight sets (25-17, 25-16, 25-18) on Oct. 9 in Tallahassee, Florida.
Sunday, November 8 at 2:00 PMBethune-Cookman at N.C. Central
Durham, N.C. – McDougald-McLendon Arena
LIVE VIDEO ($7.95) |
LIVE AUDIO |
LIVE STATS SERIES: The Wildcats have won the last three matches against NCCU to move over .500 against NCCU at 9-6 in the Lady Eagles modern era. B-CU swept NCCU in straight sets (25-11, 25-21, 25-14) on Oct. 11 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
North Carolina Central University Volleyball The Lady Eagles ended a six-match losing streak with arguably its best performance of the season in a 3-0 win at Savannah State last Sunday. NCCU (4-22 Overall, 3-5 MEAC) hit a season-best .282 in the match and got a season-high 15 kills from Rossip.
Junior outside hitter
Kelsey Murphy – a 2014 MEAC All-Conference performer – leads NCCU with 3.38 kills per set (which ranks fourth in the league). Murphy, who has five double-doubles, also averages 2.12 digs per set on the season and is averaging 1.00 blocks per set in the team's last three matches.
Rossip follows Murphy with 2.34 kills per set on a team-best .223 hitting percentage. Rossip also paces the Lady Eagles 0.62 blocks per set.
A trio of freshmen average over one kill per set in
Sydney Sumner (1.95),
Kierra Shipman (1.33) and
Whitney White (1.18).
Sherbondy anchors NCCU's defense with 2.68 digs per set and is more impressive in league play with 3.48 digs per set in eight conference matches.
NCCU hit .172 in its first match at FAMU with a balanced attack featuring nine kills by Murphy, eight by White and seven from Rossip.
Murphy notched a double-double at B-CU with 13 kills and 10 digs.
Florida A&M University Volleyball The reigning MEAC Southern Division regular season champion Rattlers are coming off a 3-0 home loss to Southern Division frontrunner Bethune-Cookman on Sunday. FAMU (6-19 Overall, 6-2 MEAC) is in second place in the division winning every other league match except for its two contests against the Wildcats.
Preseason MEAC Player of the Year Pamela Soriano is not having a sophomore slump after earning MEAC Rookie of the Year laurels in 2014. The outside hitter is averaging a team-best 2.87 kills per set and 2.61 digs per set.
Senior middle blocker Ginna Lopez-Chavis is a two-time First Team All-MEAC honoree and is averaging 2.51 points per set, including averages of 1.83 kills, 0.68 blocks and 0.30 aces per set.
Freshman Valentina Carrasco has taken over the libero duties for the Rattlers and is averaging 3.60 digs per set. Sophomore Valerie Lopez (7.16) is FAMU's primary setter, with junior transfer Ailin Donati (4.59) also seeing time at the setter position.
Florida A&M hit .326 the first time against NCCU with junior Starmichael Tucker, who is averaging 2.31 kills per set on the season, leading the Rattlers with 11 kills. Senior Andrea Soriano served up five aces.
Bethune-Cookman University Volleyball The Wildcats are the MEAC Southern Division frontrunners and can clinch sole possession of the division with a win this weekend. Bethune-Cookman (11-15 Overall, 8-0 MEAC) will play at North Carolina A&T State University on Friday before playing the Lady Eagles on Sunday.
B-CU has already secured the No. 1 seed in the division with a season series sweep of Florida A&M and has done so with a veteran squad that returned all six of its starters from 2014.
Senior Delicia Pierre, who just reached 1,000 career kills in her Wildcat career, leads the league with 3.39 kills per set. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter is also tallying 2.25 digs and 0.69 blocks per set. Pierre gets plenty of support with classmate Rhea Simon tallying a second-best 2.55 kills per set.
Bethune-Cookman had its primary specialists both earn preseason All-MEAC acclaim. Senior setter Hazel Ortiz-Rosado is second in the league with 9.00 assists. Junior libero Normarie Rolon paces the Wildcats back row with 3.62 digs and Ortiz-Rosado follows with 2.50 digs per set.
Junior Phylecia Armstrong and sophomore Rakaya Neely rank fifth and seventh, individually, in the league for the MEAC's second-ranked blocking team. Armstrong averages 0.94 blocks and Neely stuffs 0.89 blocks per set. Armstrong and Neely also contribute 1.66 and 2.03 kills per set, respectively, with hitting percentages of .274 and .323.
B-CU hit .372 against NCCU in the first matchup. Neely led the Wildcats with 11 kills and Pierre pounded down 10 spikes.
