DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University volleyball team will conclude its regular season with three consecutive home matches, beginning with a pair of Mid-Eastern Athletics Conference (MEAC) matches inside the LeRoy T. Walker Complex during Homecoming when the Eagles host Howard University (Friday, 6 PM) and Norfolk State University (Sunday, 1 PM).
 
With the matches moved to the Walker Complex on campus to accommodate other Homecoming festivities inside McDougald-McLendon Arena, there will be an audio broadcast of both contests on the NCCU Sports Network, but no video will be available.  Admission will be free for both matches.
 
MATCH INFO

Friday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m.
Howard at NC Central
LIVE STATS; FREE AUDIO (NCCU Sports Network)
 
Sunday, Oct. 9 at 1 p.m.
Norfolk State NC Central
LIVE STATS; FREE AUDIO (NCCU Sports Network)

NC CENTRAL VOLLEYBALL
 
The Eagles have lost their last three matches to dip below .500 in the MEAC. NC Central (5-17 Overall, 4-7 MEAC) currently sits in sixth place out of eight teams in the league standings and will need to win at least two of its last three matches to have any chance at moving up one spot in the playoff seeding for the MEAC Championship (and one win or a Morgan State loss will keep NCCU from falling any worse than sixth in the standings).
 
The freshmen trio of Kamren Harper (2.64 kills per set), Tori Wilson (2.28 KPS) and Emmie Modlin (1.40 KPS) all rank in the top-30 of the MEAC in kills per set. Against conference competition, junior Abby Vacha and graduate student Autumn DeSantis are both chipping in 1.42 kills per set.
 
Harper has reached double-digit kills in eight matches this season while Wilson leads the Eagles with a .234 hitting percentage. Harper and Wilson, who have each earned one MEAC Rookie of the Week award this season, have increased their offensive production to 2.74 and 2.48 kills per set, respectively, in league play. Wilson also paces NCCU with 0.63 blocks per set.
 
NCCU's best statistical category within the league is service aces. The Eagles rank fourth in the MEAC with 120 aces. Sophomore libero Loren Johnson is NCCU's top server, ranking fifth in the conference with an average of 0.44 aces per set. Johnson also ranks third in the MEAC with 3.71 digs per set.
 
Sophomore setter Vanila Pulu-Suliafu ranks fourth in the conference with 6.36 assists per set. Pulu-Suliafu has eight double-doubles on the season as she is also supplying 2.50 digs per set.
 
NC Central lost its first match to Howard in straight sets as the Bison prevailed 25-9, 25-11, 25-25 in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 14. NCCU bounced back by rallying to a 3-2 road win at Norfolk State two days later, knocking off the Spartans 13-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 20-18. The rookie trio of Harper, Wilson and Modlin all had double-digit kills in that Eagle triumph. Harper netted a double-double with 18 kills and 10 digs while adding three aces and one block assist for a match-high 21.5 points.
 
HOWARD VOLLEYBALL
 
The Bison have dropped their last two matches, including at Coppin State University on Sunday to fall out of first place in the league standings. Howard (15-9, 8-2) sits one loss behind CSU in second place in the MEAC standings as the Bison try and repeat at MEAC regular season and tourney champions.
 
Howard leads the league with 12.78 kills per set with junior Jennifer Bolden and freshman Rya McKinnon both providing 2.7 kills per set. Bolden, a MEAC All-Rookie Team honoree in 2020-21, did not play in Howard's last two matches (both losses). McKinnon has increased her production to a team-best 3.44 kills per set in 10 conference clashes.
 
The Bison, who hit .383 in their straight-set victory over NCCU last month, is hitting .241 on the season. Sophomore Cimone Woodard leads the MEAC with a .377 hitting percentage while providing in 2.10 kills per set. Woodard also ranks sixth in the MEAC with 0.75 blocks per set.
 
Woodard and senior Tamar Wells both collected All-MEAC Second Team hardware last season. Wells is chipping in 2.26 kills per set. Sophomore Dami Awojobi (2.43 KPS) is a fifth Howard player averaging over two kills per set.
 
Senior libero Essence Bell tops Howard with 3.65 digs per set while senior setter Kayla Diaz is the conference leader with 10.34 assists per set. Diaz also ranks seventh in the MEAC with 0.40 aces per set.
 
Howard ranks 17th nationally with 1.88 aces per set and freshman Leah Reeves leads the squad and ranks fourth in the conference with 0.45 aces per set.
 
McKinnon had a team-best 11 kills in Howard's 3-nil triumph against NCCU.
 
NORFOLK STATE VOLLEYBALL
 
The Spartans enter the week coming off a 3-0 win over Morgan State in their Senior Day match on Sunday. Norfolk State (6-14, 6-4) is fourth in the MEAC standings and will play at South Carolina State University on Friday before traveling to Durham for Sunday's match with the Eagles.
 
Senior Shonte Seal leads the Spartans and ranks fourth in the league with 2.68 kills per set. Graduate student Carla Hernandez, who is second on the team with 2.47 kills per set on the season, leads NSU with 2.85 kills per set in 10 MEAC matches. Junior Paola Matos, a MEAC All-Rookie Team honoree two years ago, rounds out the top hitters for the Spartans with an average of 1.93 kills per set.
 
Freshman Sydney McCree has taken over the primary setting duties for Norfolk State and she is tallying an average of 7.25 assists per set. McCree, who is the daughter of former NCCU Director of Athletics Dr. Ingrid Wicker McCree, ranks third in the MEAC in assists as well as third in the league with 0.46 aces per set.
 
Graduate student Nicole Rodriguez earned All-MEAC laurels as a libero last season and she once again leads the Spartans with 3.38 digs per set (5th in the MEAC).
 
Hernandez recorded 22 kills, Matos had 15 kills and Seale tallied 13 kills in NSU's five-set loss to NCCU last month. McCree finished with 48 assists and two aces. Matos also had two aces and seven blocks for 20.5 points.