DURHAM, N.C. — Seniors Whitney White and Erika Ianovale had big performance in their final home match to highlight play for the North Carolina Central University volleyball team in a 3-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division home loss to North Carolina A&T State University Thursday evening.
 
White and Ianovale joined Kierra Shipman and Bree Simmons in a pre-match ceremony honoring the four NCCU seniors.
 
The Aggies hit .266 for the match and made 11 blocks to produce the 25-23, 25-19, 25-13 victory. North Carolina A&T moved over .500 at 12-11 and will enter the league tournament with a 7-3 ledger from the Southern Division.
 
NCCU concluded its regular season at 6-18 overall and 4-6 in the league. The Lady Eagles will await their MEAC Tournament fate as a few Southern Division matches conclude over the weekend. NC Central currently holds the fourth and final seed in the division.
 
NCCU HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
 
White smashed 11 kills on just 20 swings with five errors for a .300 hitting percentage. White also had three blocks assists for 12.5 total points. Freshman Arlanda Faulkner followed White with eight kills.
 
Freshman setter Isis Mitchell cashed in her fourth double-double with a match-high 30 assists and 10 digs. Faulkner just missed her own double-double with a team-best 14 digs. Ianovale made some highlight saves on her way to 12 digs.
 
NORTH CAROLINA A&T HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
 
Sophomores Edie Brewer and Courteney Pitt topped the N.C. A&T attack with 12 and 11 kills, respectively.
 
Brewer was setting up the Aggies attack when she was not hitting the ball with 20 assists to complete a double-double. Senior Megan Wiggins chipped in 18 assists.
 
Freshman Andrea Laboy-Rivera paced all defenders with 18 assists while junior Makaylah Elliot had an assist on seven of NCAT's 11 blocks.
 
SET-BY-SET:
 
1ST: NCCU jumped out to 19-14 advantage behind a big Senior Night crowd. White blasted six kills in the opener to help the Lady Eagles construct the sizable advantage. However, NCAT closed the set on an 11-4 run to take the initial set lead.
 
2ND: The Aggies won the first six points and never trailed. Their cushion grew to 21-14 before the Lady Eagles closed to within three, 21-18, with four straight points. However, North Carolina A&T hit .333 in the frame to win by six.
 
3RD: The visitors once again got off to a great start in the final game. Five consecutive kills started the set and the Aggies once again never relinquished their initial edge. N.C. A&T made five of its 11 blocks in the third to help stay in front before pulling away to the 12-point triumph.