HARRISONBURG, Va. – The North Carolina Central University volleyball team dominated the decisive fifth set by hitting .417 in the shorted final frame to pull out a 3-2 victory over Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe Norfolk State University on Friday afternoon at the James Madison University Invitational.
 
The Lady Eagles (1-14 Overall) made a season-high nine blocks and got strong team play throughout the lineup to get into the win column for the first time this season with the 16-25, 25-20, 25-22, 22-25, 15-11 conquest. The Spartans (1-10) committed 14 more errors than NCCU in suffering their third straight loss.
 
NCCU HEAD COACH NICKI HOLMES QUOTES:
"Hats off to Norfolk State. They are a really great team. Brandon Duvall is running a great program over there."
 
"We found really good ways to embrace adversity. I really felt comfortable with how the team responded to situations and the win came on our side. It is well deserved and well earned by our team."
 
"I was once again really impressed with Kelsey Murphy and her standard of level of play. Another double-double today just epitomizes her ability to run both the offense and defensive side of the ball."
 
"I was also really impressed with how Paige Phillips, who came in and played a different role today, really embraced adversity and really took the challenge head on and did a wonderful job for us."
 
"We've struggled over the last few weekends blocking and the ladies keep working hard at it and the effort is paying off especially with our right-side blocking from Whitney White and Casey Curran. They are really setting a standard of excellence."
 
"It feels really good that we can embrace our process enough and see results at the end. That is always great, but the best part is the ladies were worried about the process throughout the entire match. That standard level had been great for us. It's nice to get a win, especially against a MEAC opponent, so we look forward to the challenge against [North Carolina] A&T next week."
 
NCCU HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
Murphy posted her third double-double of the campaign with a performance of 12 kills and 15 digs. Senior Kelly Rossip matched Murphy with 14 points by totaling 12 kills and four block assists. Sumner followed with nine kills, while White and junior Jennifer Allison chipped in six kills apiece.
 
Allison tallied five block assists and White provided four block assists as the Lady Eagles totaled a season-best nine team blocks.
 
Curran and Sumner both just missed double-doubles by one mark. Curran had 38 assists and nine digs and Sumner made 15 digs to go along with her nine kills. Sumner also served up two of NCCU's five aces.
 
NSU HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
Five Spartans reached double-digit kills including a match-high 16 spikes by senior Angie Darcus. Classmate Darcy Moore showcased her versatility from the setter position with 50 assists, 10 digs and six kills without a hitting error.
 
SET-BY-SET:
1ST: NCCU jumped ahead, 3-0, with the aid of a Rossip spike and a block by Rossip and Murphy. The Lady Eagles continued to lead by three, 9-6, on consecutive kills by Rossip and White before the Spartans started to rally. Sumner provided NCCU with its last lead at 11-10 before Norfolk State closed out the set on a 15-5 run. The Spartans hit .448 in the set to take the 1-nil advantage.
 
2ND: The Lady Eagles led for most of the second set to level the match. A Murphy kill, one of her six in the game, increased NCCU's lead to the largest of the set at 16-10 before coasting to the five-point win.
 
3RD: NCCU had maybe its best attacking set of the season in the middle stanza, recording 12 kills without an error on 38 swings for a .316 hitting percentage. Norfolk State was clinging to a 13-11 lead when the Lady Eagles exploded for an 8-1 run to take over that featured two kills each by Allison, Sumner and Curran. Another combined block by Rossip and White ended the frame in favor of the Maroon and Gray.
 
4TH: The Spartans jumped out front, 6-1, in the early stages but a 13-4 run slingshotted the Lady Eagles ahead by four, 14-10. Norfolk State responded and tied the frame at 17-all. The two squads were still tied at 21 apiece before the Spartans forced the fifth set by winning four of the next five serves.
 
5TH: Norfolk State scored the first point in the race to 15 points, but it proved to be the Spartans only advantage. A couple NSU hitting errors put the Lady Eagles ahead for good early and consecutive kills by Rossip and Murphy extended NCCU's cushion to four at 9-5. The Spartans pulled to within a pair at 11-9 but another Rossip smash started a 4-2 closing surge by the Lady Eagles. A freshman Bree Simmons service ace set up match point and a kill by Allison ended play with a kill.
 
OTHER NOTES, STATS & FACTS:
NCCU improved to 7-2 against Norfolk State in the Lady Eagles' modern era (since 2007).
 
UP NEXT:
NCCU wraps up play in the JMU Invitational against the host Dukes on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. For more information, fans are encouraged to visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com.