DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University volleyball team will conclude regular season play with a home Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference showdown against South Carolina State University on Friday inside McDougald-McLendon Arena. The Eagles will celebrate Senior Night just before first serve that is scheduled for 6 p.m.
UPCOMING MATCHES:
Friday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m.
South Carolina State at NC Central
McDougald-McLendon Arena
WATCH (NCCU Sports Network);
LIVE STATS
NC CENTRAL COURT
The Eagles went 1-1 over Homecoming weekend last week, defeating University of Maryland Eastern Shore (W, 3-1) on Friday before dropping a match to Delaware State University (L, 2-3) on Sunday. NC Central (5-17 Overall, 4-9 MEAC) is locked into the sixth seed for the 2023 MEAC Volleyball Championship that will be hosted by Delaware State University on the weekend of Friday-Sunday, Nov. 17-19. The Eagles will play the winner of Friday's Delaware State at UMES match in the quarterfinals.
Sophomore outside hitter
Emmie Modlin has been named MEAC Player of the Week each of the past two weeks. She is coming off her two highest career kill totals in NCCU's last two matches to increase her team-leading average up to 3.04 kills per set, which ranks fourth best in the conference.
NCCU's two specialist have also each earned a pair of weekly awards this season. Junior
Bella Dearinger has been tabbed MEAC Setter of the Week twice, including last week, and she ranks fourth in the MEAC with 7.15 assists per set. Junior
Loren Johnson has a pair of MEAC Defensive Player of the Weeks to her name this season and she sits second in the league with 3.91 digs per set. Johnson also leads NCCU in aces per set while Dearinger is second on the team in digs per set.
The Eagles have a 17-match win streak against South Carolina State, including a 25-19, 25-22, 25-14 triumph in Orangeburg on Oct. 13. NCCU got a balanced attack in that triumph with graduate student
Jeslyn Spencer, Modlin and sophomore
Kamren Harper finishing with 10, nine and eight kills, respectively, while Dearinger had 33 assists and Johnson provided 16 digs and two aces.
NCCU Statistical Leaders
KILLS: #36
Emmie Modlin (3.04) and #13
Kamren Harper (2.78)
ACES: #9
Loren Johnson (0.37) and #10
Jeslyn Spencer (0.31)
ASSISTS: #1
Bella Dearinger (7.12) and #2
Azra Osmanovic (2.40)
DIGS: #9
Loren Johnson (3.91) and #1
Bella Dearinger (2.02)
BLOCKS: #5
Amarah Johnson (0.61) and #20
Kennedy Clark (0.48)
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE COURT
The Bulldogs also hosted Delaware State and Maryland Eastern Shore last weekend, losing both contests in straight sets. South Carolina State (1-26 Overall, 0-13 MEAC) will be the eighth seed in the 2023 MEAC Volleyball Championship.
In her first season with SCSU after transferring in from Temple, junior Kiyah Felder leads the Bulldogs with 2.26 kills per set. Classmate Hailey Harris paces South Carolina State with 2.58 points per set that includes 1.84 kills, 0.21 aces and 0.87 blocks per set.
Felder led the Bulldogs with nine kills in last month's 3-0 home loss to NCCU while Harris supplied seven kills and two aces.
SCSU Statistical Leaders
KILLS: #1 Kiyah Felder (2.26) and #4 Hailey Harris (1.84)
ACES: #4 Hailey Harris (0.21) and #13 Kaia Barnett (0.20)
ASSISTS: #13 Kaia Barnett (5.87) and #17 Trinity Stevenson (0.40)
DIGS: #17 Trinity Stevenson (2.56) and #2 Miya Benson (1.93)
BLOCKS: #4 Hailey Harris (0.87) and #16 McKinley Roach (0.52)
For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com, or download the NCCU Eagles Athletics app.
