DURHAM, N.C. – Sophomore outside hitter Kamren Harper ripped five of her match-high 16 kills in the decisive fifth set to rally the North Carolina Central University volleyball team to a 3-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) home win over Morgan State University on Friday evening inside McDougald-McLendon Arena.
 
Harper drilled her five kills in the shorter set on just five attempts for a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage in that final frame. Harper reached double-digit kills for a fifth time this season with her 16 kills and she hit .367 for the match.
 
The Eagles served up 12 aces in the triumph – the second most this season – including a service ace by graduate student Jeslyn Spencer on match point. Spencer finished with 12.5 points, including nine kills, three aces and one block assist. Junior libero Loren Johnson paced the victors with match-high totals of four aces and 23 digs.
 
Sophomore Emmie Modlin just missed a double-double with 11 kills and nine digs; freshman Amarah Johnson had a strong performance with eight kills and a team-high four blocks (two solo); junior setter Bella Dearinger setup the NCCU attack with 42 assists; graduate student Isa Dostal contributed seven kills, two aces and four block assists as NCCU had five players with double-digit points; and sophomore Neira Joldic contributed a season-high 10 digs.
 
After securing the 16-25, 26-24, 19-25, 25-17, 25-9 victory on Friday, NCCU has now defeated Morgan State five consecutive times over the past three years, including three times in five sets. The Eagles have played five sets in five of their first 12 matches this season, winning both times they have gone the full distance at home this campaign.
 
The Bears looked strong early, never trailing in their nine-point win in the opening set. Morgan State remained in control for most of the second set in building up a late 23-18 lead, but NCCU closed the set on a sizzling 8-1 run to level the match. Johnson was the maroon and gray catalyst in that late surge, recording two kills and a solo block.
 
MSU had its best hitting set of the match in the middle stanza with a .321 mark to regain the set advantage in the seesaw affair. NCCU answered with its hottest set in the fourth, swinging at a .297 clip to force the fifth set, including five kills by Modlin.
 
After trading the first four points, NCCU rattled off points on seven of the next eight serves to take control of the fifth set at 9-3. Harper had three consecutive kills during that stretch before the Eagles finished off the match comeback by winning the set by that same six-point margin.
 
Morgan State (5-13 Overall, 0-3 MEAC) senior Makila Billingsley led all players with 17 points, including team-high totals of 14 kills and six block assists.
 
NC Central (2-10, 1-2) will next host MEAC foe Coppin State University on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
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