PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – North Carolina Central University senior setter Paige Phillips provided 22 assists in her final collegiate game to finish with an NCAA Division I era program record 1,896 career assists in Friday's 3-0 loss to host University of Maryland Eastern Shore in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Volleyball Championship Tournament Friday afternoon in the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center.
 
The Hawks needed a 7-1 rally in third set to complete the 25-15, 25-17, 25-23 sweep. Maryland Eastern Shore (27-7 Overall0 is the top-seed from the Northern Division after posting a perfect 12-0 league record and the Hawks will next play Florida A&M University in the semifinals on Saturday.
 
NCCU (4-20) – the fourth-seed from the Southern Division – finished its season with a postseason playoff game for the second straight year.
 
NCCU HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
Junior middle blocker Whitney White paced the Lady Eagles with 13 kills on 29 swings with just four errors for a .310 hitting percentage. White led NCCU with 2.24 kills per set and a .279 hitting percentage on the 2017 season.
 
The freshman duo of Christine Alcox and Da'Nesha Miller accounted for 10 of NCCU's other 14 kills in the match with six and four, respectively. White, Alcox and Miller each had one solo block and one block assist on their final stat line.
 
Phillips aided NCCU's attack that hit .161 with 22 assists. The Birmingham, Alabama, products 1,896 career assists ranks fourth all-time in NCCU program history.
 
Junior libero Bree Simmons led all players with 16 digs.
 
MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
First Team All-MEAC honoree sophomore Iva Vujosevic led the victors with a match-high 14 kills. Junior Rachel Kayongo added 12 kills as the Hawks scored 62.3-percent of their points with kills.
 
Maryland Eastern Shore hit .333 for the match with sophomore setter Ivan Blazevic delivering 36 assists.
 
The Hawks, who entered the match leading DI volleyball with over two kills per set, served up seven aces. Junior libero Maja Jankovic launched three aces to go along with her team-high 14 digs.
 
SET-BY-SET:
1ST: A kill by White had NCCU only trailing by two, 14-12, at the midway point of the opener. However, the Hawks flew away with an 11-3 run from that point to win by 10. Maryland Eastern Shore had its best offensive set with 17 kills and a .400 hitting percentage.
 
2ND: The Hawks used another second-half push in the second set to take the middle stanza by eight. With the scoreboard deadlocked at 12-all, Maryland Eastern Shore rattled off four straight points to take control. Kayongo had two kills and a block assist in the decisive run.
 
3RD: NCCU constructed a late 22-18 advantage in an attempt to extend the match, but Maryland Eastern Shore closed out the match with a 7-1 rally. The Lady Eagles broke a 17-17 tie by winning five of the next six serves, which was started by a kill and block by Miller, to gain their four-point edge. Four different Hawks had spikes in aiding Maryland Eastern Shore it its dramatic closing comeback.