GREENSBORO, N.C. — The North Carolina Central University volleyball team served for match point on two occasions, but host North Carolina A&T State University was able to survive both times before prevailing 3-2 in a tight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) showdown Tuesday night in Moore Gymnasium.
 
The Aggies also had to rally from a 2-0 set deficit in order to squeak out the 27-29, 22-25, 25-16, 25-20, 17-15 triumph. North Carolina A&T improved to 4-12 on the season and 2-0 in the MEAC.
 
NC Central (2-13, 1-1) next travels to Baltimore to play a pair of MEAC tilts at Morgan State University (Friday, 7 PM) and Coppin State University (Sunday, 1 PM).
 
NC CENTRAL HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
 
Junior Christine Alcox topped NCCU's hitters with 12 kills. Sophomores Arlanda Faulkner and Jasmine Sanders both tallied eight kills while classmate Ammaarah Williams netted seven kills.
 
Reigning MEAC Setter of the Week sophomore Celene Morris posted another double-double with 33 assists and 14 digs. Two other Lady Eagles reached double digit digs, including junior libero Yomaries Villegas with 21 digs and freshman defensive specialist Alyssa Pieh with 10 digs. Pieh also served up three aces.
 
NORTH CAROLINA A&T HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
 
The junior duo of Edie Brewer and Courteney Pitt led the Aggies comeback charge. Brewer was flirting with a quadruple-double, but settled for a double-double with 17 kills, 32 assists, nine digs and seven block assists. Pitt led all players with 26 kills.
 
SET-BY-SET:
 
1ST: NCCU constructed an early 10-8 edge with four straight points on freshman Pieh's service rotation, capped by an ace. The advantage grew to three points on two occasions, including as late as 18-15 before the Aggies scored five straight points to leapfrog ahead by two points. A block by junior McKayla Young and an ace by Villegas helped NCCU rally to tie the score at 22-all. The close set featured 14 ties and eight lead changes before Faulkner served up an ace on NCCU's second chance at set point to win the extended opener, 29-27.
 
2ND: Consecutive kills by Morris leveled the second set, 17-17, and a kill by senior Jessica Pilivi put the Lady Eagles ahead by two, 22-20, to force N.C. A&T to call its last timeout. After the brief stoppage, a kill by Williams finished off the three-point victory in favor of the maroon and gray to put NCCU up 2-0 in the match. The Lady Eagles hit .300 for the set.
 
3RD: The Aggies raced out to an early 6-1 lead, which proved to be an advantage they would never relinquish. NC Central pulled to within one point on four separate occasions, but a second 6-0 run by the hosts in the set kept North Carolina A&T ahead before prevailing by nine to extend the match.
 
4TH: Pieh's second ace of the match deadlocked the score at 16-16, but the Aggies rattled off the next four points to start a 9-4 closing run to force a decisive fifth set.
 
5TH: Kills by Young and Alcox provided NCCU with two chances at match point at 14-13 and 15-14, respectively. The Aggies answered both times and they used three straight kills to finish off the comeback victory. N.C. A&T finished with 71 total kills in comparison to 47 by the Lady Eagles.