Campus Echo StaffN.C. Central’s volleyball team faced off against two conference opponents, the Howard University Bison and Norfolk State Spartans, both at home over the weekend. Friday night at the McClendon-McDougald Arena, the crowd watched as the Lady Eagles fell short in a close match against the Bison, losing 3-2 in a five-set match.
This match, which ended in scores of 25-23, 25-18, 26-24, 25-18 and 15-10, brings the team to a 5-13 record and marks the 17th consecutive loss to Howard. The first set remained close throughout, with neither team gaining a significant lead, but a bad serve and an attack error from Howard allowed NCCU to take a 1-0 lead.
The second set started off as a close game, but Howard was able to lead after NCCU gave up three points due to errors, which allowed Howard to take the set 25–18. Early in the third set, Howard built a 17-9 lead. With support from the home crowd, NCCU responded with an eight-point run to tie the score at 20–20. Leanna Beaty delivered an ace to even the score, and N.C. Central went on to win the set 26-24.
The fourth set started off as a close game, but Howard pulled ahead with a 20-14 lead and recorded 14 kills to take the set 25-18. In the final set, Howard jumped out to an early lead, but NCCU closed the gap to 9-11. However, the Bisons sealed the match with a final ace by graduate student Aziah Buckner, securing the win.
Senior Kamren Harper led the team in kills, finishing with 20, followed by senior Makenzi Searcy and sophomore Leanna Beaty, who finished with 9 and 8 kills, respectively. Senior Niera Joldic led the team with 20 digs, followed by graduate student Manuela Cripa Nasser, who tallied 11 digs along with a team-high 38 assists.
Sunday afternoon, the Lady Eagles bounced back and took a swift and decisive 3-0 home victory against Norfolk State, improving their record to 5-13 overall and 2-4 in conference.
The win, with scores of 25-17, 25-12, and 25-18, came as a breath of fresh air for the team after losing four consecutive five-set games prior. The Lady Eagles maintain their sixth-seed position in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Kamren Harper posted a game-high 13 kills along with two aces, with Makenzi Searcy almost matching that kill stat with 12 kills, two blocks, and an assist. Leanna Beaty also added 7 kills and three aces of her own to the stat sheet.
Manuela Cripa Nasser dished out a match-high 36 assists. Loren Johnson also dished out two assists to contribute to NCCU’s 41 total assists. NCCU was never down more than five points during a set.
The Lady Spartans did give the Eagles a little bit of a scare in the last set, coming back up 23-18 after four swift points in hopes of a comeback. But one bad serve from the Spartans and two quick kills from NCCU followed, giving NCCU the set and the match, winning 3-0.
The Lady Eagles will travel to Orangeburg, S.C., to face South Carolina State on Friday, beginning a four-game stretch of road games.
Written by Allison Ivy and Amiya Neal
