BALTIMORE, Md. – Senior middle blocker/outside hitter Ammaarah Williams produced a career-high 22 kills with a sizzling .413 hitting percentage while completing a double-double with 13 digs and supplying a match-high four block assists to lead the North Carolina Central University volleyball team to a 3-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) road win at Morgan State University Friday afternoon.
 
The Eagles were in a 22-22 deadlock in the fourth set and trailing in the match, 2-1, before winning the next three points to level the conference clash. NCCU took that momentum into a dominating fifth set as the Eagles won their second straight league tilt.
 
NCCU (6-11 Overall, 5-3 MEAC) completed the season-series sweep of the Bears by a final margin of 15-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-22, 15-5. Morgan State slipped to 3-19 on the season, including 1-7 in the conference.
 
Williams added one ace to her big output to lead all players with 25 points, a new season-best total by any NCCU player this season.
 
Senior Arlanda Faulkner, the reigning MEAC Co-Player of the Week, continued her stellar play with 20 kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Senior McKayla Young and junior Abby Vacha chipped in eight kills apiece.
 
Sophomore setter Lauren Janok reached the 50 assist plateau for the first time in her collegiate career as the Eagles hit .236 as a team. Janok finished off her eighth double-double of the season with a team-best 19 digs.
 
The Eagles started off slowly, committing nine hitting errors while only successfully logging seven kills in the first set, which helped the Bears race out to a 10-point win in the opening game.
 
NCCU responded by jumping out to an 8-1 lead in the second set, capped by a kill by Young. Morgan State rallied and took a brief 16-15 edge, but three more kills in the set by Young helped put the visitors ahead again before Williams closed out the narrow two-point set victory with a pair of kills on NCCU's 24th and 25th points.
 
Trailing 20-18, MSU closed the third set on a 7-1 run to regain the set advantage. The late surge included three kills by sophomore Makila Billingsley and two kills by classmate Gabriela Hiciano.
 
Senior Jasmin Perry led the Bears with 15 kills. Hiciano followed with 14 kills and Billingsley supplied 13 kills as Morgan State's attack was also clicking in the match.
 
Fans witnessed six tied scores in the fourth set before NCCU broke the final 22-22 tie with back-to-back kills by senior Celene Morris and Williams as the Eagles successfully evened the match for a second time.
 
The Eagles closed the match on an 11-1 run, controlling the race to 15-points from the early stages of the fifth set. Tied 4-4, NCCU scored eight straight points on Faulkner's rotation. Williams blasted six of her 22 kills in that shortened deciding set.
 
NC Central will next play at MEAC foe Coppin State University on Sunday, Oct. 24 at 1 p.m.