ELON, N.C. – Senior setter Paige Phillips recorded a double-double and junior middle blocker Jazmine Daye was one kill shy of her career-high total for the North Carolina Central University volleyball team in a 3-1 loss to Norfolk State University in the opening match of the Phoenix Classic hosted by Elon University on Friday afternoon.
 
The Spartans won the battle of the two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) foes by a final margin of 25-18, 25-22, 17-25, 25-22. Norfolk State improved to 2-3 and NCCU dipped to 0-7.
 
NCCU HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
Phillips tallied her second double-double of the season with 28 assists and 10 digs. She also had a team-high four block assists.
 
Daye topped NCCU's attack with nine kills, one shy of her career-best performance. Freshman Da'Nesha Miller followed closely with eight kills. The junior trio of Kierra Shipman (seven kills), Whitney White (five kills) and Erika Ianovale (four kills) also chipped in a maroon and gray offense that hit a season-high .182.
 
Shipman led the Lady Eagles with 13 digs and freshman Nahir Berrios Laguerre was a third NCCU player in double-digit digs with 11.  
 
NORFOLK STATE HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
Freshman Jazmine Craig unleashed 12 of her 13 kills in the first two sets to give the Spartans the early spark. Classmate Taylor Eichelberger and junior Lexi Brown chipped in eight and seven kills, respectively.
 
Senior libero Melvina Brown accumulated a match-high 19 digs and served up three aces. Senior Hope Forsythe matched Phillips from the setter position with her own double-double of 24 assists and 11 digs.
 
SET-BY-SET:
1ST: The Spartans won the first three points of the match and never trailed in the opening set. Norfolk State hit .344 and Craig paced the Spartans with six kills on 11 swings with just one error for a .455 hitting percentage.  
 
2ND: The second stanza was contested much closer. A kill by Daye knotted the score for an eighth and final time at 21-all. However, Norfolk State won four of the next five points to sneak away with the three-point win. Sophomore Daiysa Burrell had two kills in the 4-1 closing run, including one on set point.
 
3RD: NCCU extended the match leading majority of the third set. The Spartans only trailed 12-11 before the Lady Eagles pulled away with a 13-6 run. NCCU scored seven of those points on kills, including three by Miller. Her final two spikes closed out the period as she posted half of her eight kills in the set.
 
4TH: A trio of service errors allowed NSU to gain an early three-point edge at 10-7. The Lady Eagles rallied and a kill by Shipman had NCCU ahead 21-19. However, the Spartans finished off the match on a 6-1 run to win by three. A block by Daye and freshman Christine Alcox had the scoreboard still knotted at 22-apiece before a kill by Tyler finished off three consecutive points by Norfolk State.
 
UP NEXT:
NCCU will play two more matches in the Phoenix Classic on Saturday, battling host Elon at 12:30 p.m. and Charleston Southern University at 4:30 p.m.