DURHAM, N.C. – Junior setter Paige Phillips posted a double-double and orchestrated a hot-hitting Lady Eagles attack as the North Carolina Central University volleyball team coasted to a straight-set Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division victory over South Carolina State University on Friday night in McDougald-McLendon Arena.
 
NCCU (4-13 Overall, 3-3 MEAC) leveled its league ledger with the 25-18, 25-20, 25-19 triumph. The South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs (0-23, 0-8) remained winless after dropping its second match to the Lady Eagles on the season.
 
NCCU HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
Senior Kelsey Murphy sophomore Whitney White both blasted a dozen kills with hitting percentages over .300. White added five blocks (three solo, two assists) and two aces to her 12 kills for a match-high 18 kills.
 
Phillips completed her fourth double-double of the year with 35 assists and 10 digs.
 
All three NCCU seniors started with Casey Curran tallying eight kills and nine digs and Ashley Johnson chipping in one kill and two blocks.
 
Freshman Kennedy White supplied a season-high marks of five kills and five digs. Sophomore libero Bree Simmons anchored NCCU's defense with 11 digs.
 
The Lady Eagles hit .220 for the match.
 
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
Junior Marcella Chestnut led all players with 13 kills and 13 digs.
 
Sophomore Brianna Dafney also reached double-digit kills with 11 spikes; junior Ashante Finnie logged eight kills and five blocks; and freshman setter Fabiola Plaza handed out 26 assists.
 
SET-BY-SET:
1ST: NCCU broke a 6-6 tie with a key 9-4 run to pull out to a 15-10 advantage. The Lady Eagles kept the momentum and five kills by Murphy posted five kills in the seven-point win.
 
2ND: The maroon and gray never trailed in the middle set and once again led 15-10 at the midway point before a Curran kill capped the five-point conquest.
 
3RD: NCCU trialed by four points on three occasions early in the third but ended up hitting .333 in the final set with 15 kills to rally and complete the sweep with another sizable six-point victory. White registered half of her 12 kills in the third.
 
OTHER NOTES, STATS & FACTS:
NCCU moves over .500 against SCSU in its DI era (since 2007) at 10-9.
 
UP NEXT:
NCCU will celebrate Senior Day on Sunday when the Lady Eagles host MEAC rival Savannah State University at 1 p.m. For more information, fans are encouraged to visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com.