DURHAM, N.C. — Junior
Kennedy White hit .571 on her way to a career-high 10 kills to pace the North Carolina Central University volleyball team in a close 3-0 home loss to Charlotte on Tuesday evening.
The 49ers had to rally from deficits of 21-14 and 20-15 in the first and third sets, respectively, to complete the narrow 26-24, 25-14, 27-25 victory. Charlotte improved to 11-8 overall.
NC Central (3-11 Overall, 1-1 MEAC) returns to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southern Division play with a road trip to Savannah State University (Friday, 6 p.m.) and South Carolina State University (Sunday, 1 p.m.) this weekend.
NCCU HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
White recorded all 10 of her kills in the first two sets. She only had 14 swings in those two sets with just two errors to finish with a smoking .571 hitting percentage. Her 10 kills beat her prior career high of eight spikes.
The freshman duo of
Arlanda Faulkner and
Morgan Goodwin each added seven kills. Goodwin also had two of the four maroon and gray aces. Fellow rookie
Celene Morris tallied a match-high 15 digs. Senior
Bree Simmons tacked on 10 digs. Senior
Whitney White was part of four of NCCU's six blocks.
CHARLOTTE HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
Sophomore Sydney Rowan led all players with 12 kills and she completed a double-double with 13 digs. Senior Reeana Richardson totaled 10 kills as the 49ers hit .215 as a team.
Freshman setter Nya Steele totaled 33 assists and 12 digs. Junior libero Yumi Garcia contributed 14 digs and senior Jannelle Curtiss totaled six block assists.
SET-BY-SET:
1ST: NCCU scored the first four points of the set and looked to be in control as
Kennedy White blasted seven kills in the frame. The Lady Eagles led by seven points on three occasions, including as late as 21-14 before Charlotte made a late comeback. The 49ers finished the set on a 12-3 run to shift the momentum in favor of the visitors. The finishing flurry featured four kills by Rowan.
2ND: Charlotte pounded down 17 kills on 30 attempts and finished the middle game hitting .400 to win by 11. Richardson got her first nine spikes of the match in the set.
3RD: Faulkner pounded down five of her seven kills in the third to help NCCU pull out to a late five-point edge at 20-15. Once again Charlotte made a dramatic comeback to complete the sweep. The 49ers finished the period on a 12-4 run, including three blocks before Rowan capped the rally with a kill.
