DURHAM, N.C. — The North Carolina Central University volleyball team used a couple 9-0 runs during the service rotation of sophomore Isis Mitchell in a couple set wins and the Lady Eagles served up another 13 aces in a 3-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) victory over University of Maryland Eastern Shore on Sunday afternoon in McDougald-McLendon Arena.
 
The Lady Eagles have won four of their last five home matches to level their home record to 4-4. The 25-11, 21-25, 25-14, 25-21 triumph improved NCCU's overall record to 5-18, league ledger to 4-4 and conference home mark to 3-0. Eastern Shore departed at 8-15 and 3-5.
 
NC Central next travels to Charlotte to play the 49ers in a non-conference match on Tuesday at 6 p.m.  
 
NC CENTRAL HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
 
Mitchell and freshman Alyssa Pieh both tallied four aces while sophomore Ammaarah Williams and junior libero Yomaries Villegas each sent two aces over the net.
 
The Lady Eagles used a balanced attack that hit .190 for the match. Sophomore Arlanda Faulkner paced the offense with eight kills. Williams and junior McKayla Young both added seven kills. Faulkner, Williams and sophomore Estfania Louis, who had five kills, all logged three block assists.
 
Villegas topped NCCU's defenders with 17 digs. Senior Jessica Pilivi and sophomore setter Celene Morris both notched 10 digs. Morris completed her 11th double-double with a match-high 31 assists.
 
EASTERN SHORE HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
 
Junior Tatjana Trifkovic led all players with 17 kills. Senior Ivana Blazevic had 31 assists and 10 digs.
 
1ST SET: Trailing 9-7 early in the opener NCCU went on a 9-0 run during Mitchell's service rotation to take over before winning by 14. Williams had three kills in set and Pieh served up two aces.
 
2ND SET: The Hawks, who hit in the negative in the first set, got their hitters going in the second set. Eastern Shore posted a .429 hitting percentage in the set to win by four and level the match. A kill by sophomore Jasmine Sanders, who finished with five for the match, pulled NCCU within two late, but a kill and an ace by the Hawks kept the visitors ahead at the end.  
 
3RD SET: Another 9-0 run by the Lady Eagles on Mitchell's service rotation pushed NCCU out to a 20-11 advantage. The maroon and gray won by 11, hitting .364 in the frame, to regain a one-set edge. Williams had another three kills in that set.
 
4TH SET: NCCU was clinging to a 15-14 lead before a critical 4-0 run to propel the Lady Eagles to the four-point win. The surge featured kills by Faulkner and Young before Pieh launched two straight aces.