ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Senior Casey Curran and sophomore Whitney White both ripped double-digit kills for visiting North Carolina Central University as the Lady Eagles opened up Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play with a 3-1 win at South Carolina State University on Friday evening.
 
NCCU (2-8 Overall, 1-0 MEAC) also received nine kills from sophomore Jazmine Daye in posting the 25-17, 25-23, 23-25, 27-25 win. The SCSU Lady Bulldogs (0-17, 0-3) remained winless on the season.
 
NCCU HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
Curran posted a career-high 14 kills to pace the Lady Eagles attack. The Garden City, Kansas, product served up three of NCCU's season-high seven aces.
 
White pounded down a season-high 11 kills on 20 swings with just three errors for a sizzling .400 hitting percentage. Daye added her nine kills on a .250 clip.
 
NCCU has posted its two highest hitting percentages in its two wins. Junior setter Paige Phillips led the Lady Eagles to a .161 attacking mark on Friday with 38 assists.
 
Sophomore libero Bree Simmons topped the maroon and gray defensive efforts with 16 digs. Phillips and freshman Nia Singletary scooped up seven digs apiece.
 
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
Sophomore Brianna Dafney had a big match for the Lady Bulldogs, leading all players with 20 kills. Junior Marcella Chestnut netted 11 kills, as that duo provided most of the host's offense.
 
Junior Tyler Ockleberry played in her first match of the season and was noteworthy with six kills and a team-high 11 digs.
 
SET-BY-SET:
1ST: NCCU started the night on fire, hitting .370 in the opening set and rolling to the eight-point win. The Lady Eagles used a balanced attack with Curran supplying four kills and Daye, White and Singletary all tallying three spikes.
 
2ND: The back-and-forth second set came down to the final plays. South Carolina State leveled the set score for the 15th time at 23-all, but a service error put the Lady Eagles back ahead. Singletary then blasted the set-winning kill to give NCCU the commanding 2-nil set advantage.
 
3RD: The two squads played another seesaw affair in the third, with the scoreboard once again being deadlocked at 23-23. However, this time a pair of consecutive hitting errors by the visitors allowed the Lady Bulldogs to extend the match.
 
4TH: NCCU looked to be back in control by constructing a 14-9 edge midway through the fourth set. SCSU responded with five straight points to level the scoreboard. NCCU immediately regained the lead and did so the following five times the Lady Bulldogs knotted the score to never trail late. The Lady Eagles finally won the clinching set on its third service attempt at match-point in the extended frame with the aid of a SCSU hitting error.
 
OTHER NOTES, STATS & FACTS:
NCCU leveled its DI era record against SCSU at 9-9 and avenged a pair of losses to the Lady Bulldogs last season.
 
UP NEXT:
NCCU next visits MEAC Southern Division foe Savannah State University on Sunday at 1 p.m. For more information, fans are encouraged to visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com.