BALTIMORE – A furious third-set rally helped North Carolina Central defeat Morgan State 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 27-25) on Friday at Hill Field House in the first of a two-match volleyball road trip for the Eagles.
NCCU improved to 5-5 in the MEAC and 7-15 overall with its second consecutive victory. Morgan State dropped to 6-4 in the conference and 7-15 overall in the MEAC Game of the Week. The Eagles, tied for fifth in the MEAC, are two matches behind second-place Delaware State as the regular season winds down.
Morgan State entered the match with several impressive wins, including a 3-2 victory over defending champion and current league leader Coppin State. However, the Eagles stepped up late in each set to sweep the season series and gain their third straight win over the Bears.
NCCU rallied from a 22-16 deficit to win the third set 27-25, snapping a string of four straight five-set matches in the series.
Kayla Riley scored the match-winning kill off an assist from
Lusiana Damuni.
Riley finished with 11 kills on .526 hitting, both match highs for the Eagles, who outhit their opponent for the third consecutive match and the fifth time in the last six outings.
Talia Emmen added nine kills and two aces while
Shalyn Bell had seven kills, nine digs and two aces.
Allyson Rouse hit .500 with five kills and four blocks while
Hailey Gibbons contributed 13 digs.
Breylan Fairley registered 21 assists, Damuni added 17 assists and
Aniah Bass had six kills and six digs.
Morgan Wingo chipped in two blocks.
NCCU relied on .250 hitting to get past Morgan State, which hit .194. Many points came at key moments.
In the first set, the Bears sliced a 24-20 deficit with three straight points but Bell's kill off Fairley's assist sealed a 25-23 Eagles win for a 1-0 lead. In the second set, the Eagles scored four straight points to break a 20-20 tie before taking the set 25-21 and setting the stage for their third-set comeback.
UP NEXT
The Eagles will stay in Baltimore for Sunday's MEAC match against Coppin State at 1 p.m.
For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.
