ELON, N.C. --The North Carolina Central volleyball team fell in five sets (25-23, 22-25, 25-20, 13-25, 3-15) to the Elon Phoenix Saturday on the road at Schar Center closing out weekend tournament play.
Makenzi Searcy finished with 11 kills on the day to lead the Eagles' attack. Defensively, had three players reach double figures in digs, including Loren Johnson's 15, 11 from Gabriela Felix-Baeza, and 10 more from Emmie Modlin.
"We played three matches in 24 hours; 14 sets in that span," said head volleyball coach Jody Brown. "It was a great learning weekend and we got to learn our team a little better."
Game Notes
» North Carolina Central had three players in double figures in digs.
» Emmie Modlin had a team-high two aces in the loss.
» Makenzi Searcy had a team-high 11 kills for North Carolina Central.
» NCCU's Loren Johnson had a match-high 15 digs.
» The attackers for the Eagles were helped by a match-high 38 assists from Bella Dearinger.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles opened up an early 1-0 set lead, taking a nail-biter first set 25-23. North Carolina Central grabbed the advantage for good at 24-23 in a set that showcased two lead changes before the Eagles took control.
SET 2 | North Carolina Central then fell in the second set 25-22, tying the match at a set apiece. The Eagles couldn't hang on in the back-and-forth set, losing in a stanza that featured seven lead changes and was tied 13 times. Neither team led by more than three points along the way.
SET 3 | NCCU fired back after the second-set loss to grab set three and a 2-1 lead in the match, winning 25-20. North Carolina Central took the lead for good at 14-13 in a set that showcased two lead changes before the Eagles took over in the second half of the stanza.
SET 4 | The Eagles couldn't finish off a four-set win as the Phoenix forced a fifth set with a 25-13 victory. The Eagles trailed by as many as 12 points and weren't able to recover in a set that was knotted up two times before the Phoenix won the set.
SET 5 | North Carolina Central and Elon went back and forth all game, trading wins in the first three sets until the Phoenix took the final two sets, including winning the fifth set 15-3, and the match.
The non-conference loss moves NC Central to 0-5 on the season. NCCU will be on the road again next weekend at the Campbell Invitational in Buies Creek, N.C.
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