TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Senior outside hitter Kelsey Murphy posted a double-double for visiting North Carolina Central University against a victorious Florida A&M University that clinched the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division regular season title with a 3-0 win Friday night in the Al Lawson Center.
 
The Rattlers won their 11th straight match with the 24-14, 25-18, 25-18 triumph. Florida A&M (14-11 Overall, 9-0 MEAC) secured the top Southern Division seed for the MEAC Tournament after staying undefeated in league play, coupled with a North Carolina A&T State University loss at Bethune-Cookman University Friday. NCCU (5-15 Overall, 4-4 MEAC) will need to win its last two regular-season matches to have any chance at moving up from the fourth seed.
 
NCCU HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
Murphy tallied team-high totals of 11 kills and 10 digs for her second double-double of the season.
 
Senior Casey Curran and sophomore Whitney White contributed six and five kills, respectively. Curran also had seven digs and two solo blocks.
 
Junior setter Paige Phillips logged 21 assists.
 
FLORIDA A&M HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
The Rattlers hit .311 for the match and was led by freshman Maria Yvette Garcia, who pounded down 16 kills on 32 attempts with just three errors for a .406 hitting percentage.
 
Freshman setter Elana Dimitrova conducted FAMU's attack with 37 assists. Dimitrova added two of the Rattlers' eight aces. Her twin sister Radka Dimitrova chipped in nine kills and eight digs.
 
Sophomore libero Vanentina Carrasco supplied a match-high 14 digs.
 
SET-BY-SET:
1ST: FAMU scored the first five points of the match, capped by two consecutive aces by Canessa, and never trailed in the opener. The hosts' advantage grew to 10-2 early and seven kills by Garcia helped the Rattlers roll to the 11-point set victory after hitting .400 as a team.
 
2ND: NCCU constructed a 9-5 lead early in the middle set with the aid of a pair of block assists by sophomore Jazmine Daye. The Rattlers rallied but a kill by Daye gave the visitors their last edge at 14-13. Florida A&M responded with a 12-4 closing run that was aided by four NCCU errors. The Rattlers hit .385 for the set and got five kills from Radka Dimitrova.
 
3RD: FAMU matched its first set by going on a 5-nil run to start the final frame. NCCU kept fighting, but the Rattlers never relinquished the lead. The Lady Eagles only trailed 13-11 when the Rattlers struck for six straight points to pull away. FAMU posted five of its eight aces in the period to complete the sweep.
 
OTHER NOTES, STATS & FACTS:
FAMU completes the season series sweep of the Lady Eagles and moves to 13-1 against NCCU since 2007 (DI era).
 
UP NEXT:
NCCU will conclude play in the Sunshine State with a MEAC tilt at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Sunday at 1 p.m. For more information, fans are encouraged to visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com.