CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University volleyball team rallied back in the first match of the Queen City Invitational before dropping the five-set thriller to East Tennessee State University (20-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-18, 12-15). The Eagles closed out the day with a loss to the co-host school Queens University in three sets (24-26, 19-25, 23-25) at the Levine Center.
In the first match, Kamren Harper finished with 19 kills to lead the Eagles' offense against the ETSU Buccaneers. Gabriela Felix-Baeza also pitched in with seven in the contest. Defensively, four players reached double figures in digs, highlighted by Felix-Baeza's 17 and 12 from Neira Joldic and Karolina Zubkova.
Against Queens, Tayah Little hammered 10 kills for the Eagles' attack while finishing with a hitting percentage of .280. Defensively, three players reached double figures in digs, including Bella Dearinger's 16, 14 from Felix-Baeza, and 12 more from Emmie Modlin.
Game Notes – Match 1: East Tennessee State
» NCCU had four players in double figures in digs.
» Felix-Baeza had a match-high seven aces in the loss.
» North Carolina Central served up six aces on the way to a second-set victory and seven more aces in a fourth-set victory.
» The Eagles' attackers were helped by a team-high 35 assists from Bella Dearinger.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles found themselves in an early hole, dropping the first set 25-20. North Carolina Central trailed by as many as nine points as East Tennessee State never gave up the lead in a set that was tied up four times before the Buccaneers took control.
SET 2 | NC Central responded to pick up a 25-22 victory in set two, evening the match at one set apiece. Pinpoint serving helped the Eagles grab the set win. North Carolina Central recorded six aces in the set win which opened up an 18-12 lead in the stanza, coasting to victory from there. NCCU's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four ETSU attacks.
SET 3 | NCCU dropped the third set, putting the Eagles in a 2-1 deficit coming up short by the score of 25-22. North Carolina Central trailed by as many as six points as East Tennessee State grabbed the advantage in a set that was tied up nine times before the Buccaneers took the set.
SET 4 | The Eagles then responded to secure the fourth set 25-18 to force a fifth set. A solid showing on the attacking end led to NC Central's victory in the set. NCCU registered a .321 attack percentage with 11 kills in the set victory. The Eagles ended on a strong note, stretching their lead to its largest point in the set to finish out the stanza helped by seven aces.
SET 5 | North Carolina Central was on the wrong side of a back-and-forth match, winning the second and fourth sets, but losing the first, third and fifth, which they dropped by the score of 15-12, to fall in the match. The Eagles had a lead early in the set before ETSU triumphed.
Game Notes – Match 2: Queens (NC)
» North Carolina Central had three players in double figures in digs.
» Little had a team-high 10 kills for North Carolina Central.
» NCCU got a team-high 16 digs and 23 assists from Bella Dearinger.
» North Carolina Central moves to 1-9 on the season.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles fell in a close first set, losing 26-24 in a game that was tied five times and had four lead changes.
SET 2 | A 25-19 second-set loss put North Carolina Central behind 2-0 in the match. The Eagles lost the first point and never took the lead before dropping the set.
SET 3 | North Carolina Central couldn't prolong the match and lost in set number three. The Eagles fell 25-23 in a set that featured six lead changes and was tied 12 times. Neither team had a lead of more than four points along the way.
The Maroon and Gray will play its final non-conference match of the season on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 10 a.m. versus Charlotte, who is sharing host duties with Queens. The match will also be streamed on ESPN+.
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