PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – Freshman Sydney Sumner netted a match-high nine kills for North Carolina Central University in a 3-0 non-conference loss to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe University of Maryland Eastern Shore in the UMES Fall Fling Friday evening.
 
UMES (8-0) remained undefeated on the season with the 25-12, 25-17, 26-24 conquest, while keeping NCCU (0-10) out of the win column.
 
NCCU HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
The Lady Eagles received a solid offensive match from three front row players including Sumner hitting .238 en route to her nine spikes. Senior Kelly Rossip ripped eight kills at a .267 clip and freshman Whitney White tallied five kills on .308 precision.
 
Junior Casey Curran returned to the lineup and tallied 23 assists, seven digs, two kills, two block assists and one ace.
 
Freshman Bree Simmons made eight digs for a second straight night, leading the Lady Eagles' defensive efforts.
 
UMES HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
The Hawks served up 11 aces, made 10.5 blocks and smashed 34 kills with a .276 hitting percentage.
 
UMES had a balanced attack with four players each totaling six kills.
 
Senior Petra Jerabkova highlighted the Hawks victory with 27 assists, five aces, four block assists and three kills.
 
SET-BY-SET:
1ST: The Hawks jumped out to an early 11-6 lead that included five quick kills by freshman Rachel Kayongo and two consecutive aces by Jerabkova. UMES maintained control hitting .379 to win the opener by 13 points.
 
2ND: UMES scored the first two points of the middle period and never trailed. The Lady Eagles kept it much closer in the second and a Rossip kill kept NCCU within two at 13-11. The Hawks rattled off the next four points to create some separation before taking the 2-nil advantage with the eight-point triumph.
 
3RD: NCCU jumped out to its biggest lead of the match after a kill by Curran made it 10-7. The Lady Eagles clung to a slim lead for most of the set but the Hawks fought back and tied it late. However, kills by Curran, White and Sumner kept putting the Lady Eagles ahead at 18-17, 19-18 and 20-19. The two MEAC programs traded points from that juncture and a kill by junior Kelsey Murphy tied the set for the 14th time at 24-24, but an NCCU service error followed by an UMES ace clinched the victory for the hosts.
 
OTHER NOTES, STATS & FACTS:
UMES moved to a perfect 9-0 against NCCU since the Lady Eagles started competing at the NCAA Division I level in 2007.
 
UP NEXT:
NCCU completes play in the UMES Fall Fling with two matches on Saturday, Sept. 12 against Manhattan College (10 a.m.) and Loyola University Maryland (4 p.m.). For complete information, fans are encouraged to visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com.