DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University volleyball team steps into Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division competition over the weekend with a road trip to South Carolina State University in Orangeburg on Friday at 7 p.m. and Savannah State University on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
NCCU will be providing a free audio webcast of both matches with NCCU Sports Network broadcaster Mike Wood on the air with the play-by-play. Fans can follow NCCU volleyball all season by visiting NCCUEaglePride.com and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
 
MATCH INFO
 
Friday, September 30 | 7 p.m.
NCCU at South Carolina State
AUDIO
 
Sunday, October 2 | 1 p.m.
NCCU at Savannah State
AUDIO | LIVE STATS
 
N.C. Central Volleyball
 
The Lady Eagles enter conference play on a four-match losing streak, including three consecutive straight-set home losses to Elon University, Winthrop University and Gardner-Webb University.
 
Senior Casey Curran continues to increase her kill rate for the maroon and gray. She is averaging a team-best 2.46 kills per set, which is tied for ninth in the MEAC. Curran has had the Lady Eagles most kills in each of the last four matches and six of the teams' nine total matches.
 
Three other NCCU players are averaging over one kill per set in senior Kelsey Murphy (1.86), sophomore Whitney White (1.54) and sophomore Jazmine Daye (1.30). White also tops the Lady Eagles with 0.64 blocks per set.
 
Both NCCU specialists rank fifth in the league in their respective department. Junior setter Paige Phillips is posting 6.68 assists per set and sophomore libero Bree Simmons made 3.82 digs per set. Simmons also has a team-best 0.29 aces per set.
 
S.C. State swept NCCU last year to take a 9-8 modern-era series (since 2007) lead over the Lady Eagles. NCCU has won four consecutive meetings against Savannah State and is 11-1 against the Lady Tigers in its DI era.
 
S.C. State Volleyball
 
The Lady Bulldogs are winless on the season and opened up MEAC play with a pair of 3-0 road losses at Florida A&M University and Bethune Cookman University last weekend. SCSU (0-16 Overall, 0-2 MEAC) has played 14 of its 16 matches on the road.
 
Sophomore Brianna Dafney is matching NCCU's Casey Curran with 2.46 kills per set (tied for ninth in the MEAC). She is also pacing the Lady Bulldogs with 0.50 blocks and 0.32 aces per set for over three points per game.
 
SCSU lost its senior setter from last season, who had a pair of big matches in last season's series sweep of the Lady Eagles. Freshman Fabiola Plaza has taking over the setting duties and is averaging 4.32 assists per set. Sophomore libero Alexis Moses tops the Lady Bulldog defenders with 2.48 digs per set.
 
S.C. State is the only MEAC volleyball program hitting in the negative on the season (-.002).
 
Savannah State Volleyball
 
The Lady Tigers also enter the weekend winless on the season and suffered the same fate as SCSU last weekend in a couple 3-0 road losses at Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M. Savannah State (0-18, 0-2) has not won a match since Oct. 30, 2014 (52 match losing streak).
 
SSU has a trio of players ranked amongst the league's statistical leaders. Senior setter Caitlynn Masoe is serving up 0.40 aces per set, which is fourth best in the conference. Freshman Dominique Ingram, who is making an immediate impression for the Lady Tigers with a team-high 1.88 kills per set, is ranked seventh in the MEAC with 0.72 blocks per set. Senior libero Alexis Washington also ranks seventh in the league with her 3.52 digs per set.
 
Masoe is second on the team with 1.81 kills per set as she and Ingram are both providing more two points per game.
 
Junior setter Alee Quint tallies 4.62 assists per set for a SSU squad that ranks just ahead of SCSU for last in the league in hitting percentage (.037).