DURHAM, N.C. – Freshman Nia Singletary served up three aces for host North Carolina Central University in a 3-0 non-conference loss to Gardner-Webb University in women's volleyball action inside McDougald-McLendon Arena Tuesday evening.
 
Trailing 23-21 in the second set, the Runnin' Bulldogs rattled off four consecutive points to win a tight game that featured 14 lead changes and seven ties. Gardner-Webb (10-6 Overall) won the other two sets convincingly in winning 25-10, 25-23, 25-12. NCCU will enter conference play with a 1-8 overall ledger.
 
NCCU HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
The Lady Eagles posted a season-high six aces, including three off the arm of Singletary, two by junior setter Paige Phillips and one by sophomore middle blocker Whitney White.
 
Senior Casey Curran led the maroon and gray with nine kills and 12 digs. Curran was the only NCCU player to attack with a positive hitting percentage. NCCU finished with 18 kills and 24 errors for a negative .057 hitting percentage.
 
White and senior Kelsey Murphy were the only other two Lady Eagles with multiple kills with four and three, respectively. Sophomore Libero Bree Simmons tallied a team-high 13 digs and Murphy was the third NCCU player with double-digit digs with 10. White assisted on three of NCCU's five blocks.
 
GARDNER-WEBB HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
Senior Taylor Lillard topped the Runnin' Bulldogs with 11 kills. Gardner-Webb hit .233 as a team and got eight spikes by junior Hannah Driscoll and seven kills by sophomore Keira Moore.
 
Sophomore setter Amanda Sahm notched a double-double with 16 assists and 13 digs. Freshman libero Emma Milstead chipped in 15 digs.
 
SET-BY-SET:
1ST: After dropping the first point, GWU scored the next six points on its way to the 15-point win. The Runnin' Bulldogs hit .382 in the opening frame with Lillard pounding down seven kills.
 
2ND: The seesaw middle set had the two teams playing within three points of each other throughout. Gardner-Webb had a three-point edge twice early and NCCU pulled ahead by two twice, including a 4-0 run late to go up 23-21. The rally on Phillips' rotation featured the setter launching an ace. Three consecutive attack errors by NCCU, which included a pair of GWU blocks, put the Runnin' Bulldogs back in front and a kill by junior Nicole Celarek ended the two-point win for the visitors. Singletary had all three of her aces in the set.
 
3RD: The Runnin' Bulldogs led from the onset and raced out to a double-digit cushion as quickly as 15-5 before eventually completing the sweep with the 13-point win.
 
OTHER NOTES, STATS & FACTS:
Gardner-Webb is 6-0 against the Lady Eagles in NCCU's Division I era (since 2007).
 
UP NEXT:
NCCU begins Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play with a two-match road trip this weekend with the Lady Eagles opening up at South Carolina State (Orangeburg) on Friday at 7 p.m. and then playing at Savannah State (Ga.) University on Sunday at 1 p.m. For more information, fans are encouraged to visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com.