DURHAM, N.C. – The long wait is over as the North Carolina Central University volleyball team will begin the 2015-2016 NCCU athletic calendar with three matches at the University of South Carolina Gamecock Invitational presented by Hyatt Place on Friday-Saturday, August 28-29 in Columbia, South Carolina.
The Lady Eagles, who enter the season with great excitement, have a demanding schedule at the Gamecock Invite against a couple institutions from the Power Five conferences. NCCU will play local triangle foe North Carolina State University in its season opener on Friday before concluding play with two contests on Saturday. The Lady Eagles will battle host USC in a televised game by the SEC Network+ that will be available online via WatchESPN before wrapping up competition against Southeastern Louisiana University.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth 17 and under.
NCCU Sports Network broadcaster Mike Wood will be on air for an audio broadcast of all three matches that is accessible on the NCCU's official athletics website at
www.NCCUEaglePride.com. Live stats will be provided for each tilt provided by USC (each match has a different link).
Gamecock Invitational Schedule 4:30 PM - Friday, August 28NCCU vs. North Carolina State University
LIVE AUDIO |
LIVE STATSSERIES: NCCU is 1-0 vs. NCSU defeating the Wolfpack in the program's first day of competition at the DI level. The Lady Eagles knocked off NCSU, 3-2, in Durham on Aug. 24, 2007.
1:00 PM – Saturday, August 29NCCU at University of South Carolina
LIVE VIDEO |
LIVE AUDIO |
LIVE STATSSERIES: First meeting in NCCU's Division I era (since 2007)
4:00 PM – Saturday, August 29NCCU vs. Southeastern Louisiana University
LIVE AUDIO |
LIVE STATSSERIES: First meeting in NCCU's Division I era (since 2007)
North Carolina Central University Volleyball The Lady Eagles went 4-25 in 2014. Head coach
Nicki Holmes took over the program just months before the start of that campaign and NCCU showcased its best volleyball late in the season after adjusting to his style of coaching by going 4-4 in its last eight regular season contests.
The 2015 edition of NCCU volleyball has set the bar higher striving for competitive greatness daily.
A much-deeper roster of 16 allows the coaching staff to expect a greater brand of volleyball for the Maroon and Gray heading into the future. The squad features six letterwinners and 10 newcomers.
NCCU's veterans will anchor the team, including four returning Lady Eagles that played in a majority of the team's matches last season.
Junior outside hitter
Kelsey Murphy was a third team MEAC All-Conference honoree last year. Murphy led the Lady Eagles with 2.99 kills per set and 0.39 aces per set (ranked 39th individually in NCAA Division I). She also supplied 1.96 digs per set.
Senior
Kelly Rossip matched Murphy with a .132 hitting percentage and is NCCU's second leading returning hitter with 1.48 kills per set in her first season with NCCU. Rossip is just one of two seniors on the roster joining defender
Marilyn Sherbondy, who provided 2.83 digs per set last season. Sophomore
Paige Phillips is NCCU's other letterwinner with significant playing time last year, supplying 5.53 assists per set.
The Lady Eagles' 10 newcomers are all expected to contribute in various roles. The specialist positions will be immediately impacted by the new class with junior transfer
Casey Curran jumping into the setter position and freshman
Tamika Brekke, who has already spent a semester with the program enrolling at NCCU in the spring, serving as libero.
North Carolina State University Volleyball NCSU is coming off its fourth consecutive winning season under sixth year head coach Bryan Bunn with a final ledger of 16-14. The Wolfpack, who went 5-13 in the ACC, were especially good out of conference going 11-1 (enter 2015 trying to extend an 11-game, non-conference win streak).
Sophomore middle blocker Kaitlyn Kearney was named ACC All-Freshman in 2014 after leading N.C. State with 2.64 kills per set and 1.12 blocks per set.
Other top returners for a veteran Wolfpack squad features senior middle blocker Morgan Cormier (1.78 kills/set, 0.64 blocks/set), senior setter Tanna Aljoe (8.76 assists/set), junior libero Rachel Eppley (2.76 digs/set, 0.24 aces/set) and junior setter Maggie Speaks (9.40 assists/set).
University of South Carolina Volleyball The Gamecocks concluded 2014 with a 17-14 overall record, which is the programs second winning season under fifth year head coach Scott Swanson. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) member went 7-11 in league play – the programs most conference wins since 2008.
USC has its own fairly large recruiting class with seven signees as the Gamecocks are without their top hitter, setter and libero from last season.
Offensively, USC returns its next second, third and fourth hitters from a year ago in junior outside hitter KoKo Atoa-Williams (2.51 kills/set), senior right side Sarah Blomgren (1.97) and senior middle blocker Darian Dozier (1.82).
Dozier is one of the SEC's top blockers after averaging over one block per set in each of her last two seasons. Atoa-Williams chipped in 2.34 digs per set.
Southeastern Louisiana University Volleyball The Lady Lions have produced consecutive 11-win seasons in the programs first two runs by third year head coach Jim Smoot, including an 11-18 mark in 2014. Eight of Southeastern Louisiana's 11 victories came in Southland Conference play.
SLU returns nine upperclassmen while adding four freshman and one transfer. The Lady Lions have a balanced attack with its top six letterwinners all returning, who accounted for 83.8% of the teams kills last season. The half dozen are senior Tiffany Thomas (215 kills, 2.61 kills/set), junior Parrie Hartley (200, 2.27), junior Landry Bullock (172, 2.27), senior Veronica Turk (164, 1.93), sophomore Sarah Friedman (147, 2.86) and junior Rachel Bunn (113, 1.79).
Senior Mikayla Shippy set up SLU's attack with 8.78 assists per set. Senior Brooke Balser is the Lady Lions top returning defender averaging 2.79 digs per set.
