Allison IvyN.C. Central’s volleyball team kicked off its home season with a 3-0 victory against Gardner-Webb on Tuesday night at McClendon-McDougald Arena, bringing the home crowd to its feet and setting a confident tone for the season.
The 25-23, 27-25, 25-17 win brought the Lady Eagles’ record to 2-2.
“We just took off on them again. We looked pretty good. We’re in shape, ready to fire,” NCCU Head Coach Jonathan Paulk said.
Outside hitter Kamren Harper finished with 18 kills and two blocks for the Lady Eagles. Leanna Beaty, a sophomore transfer middle hitter from Shaw, had nine kills and two blocks, and right-side hitter Jenelle Mason finished with eight kills and five blocks.
The first set was close, with both teams battling for momentum early on. NCCU managed to get ahead, finishing with 12 kills, including four from Beaty, to secure the set.
After being down 8-15 in the second set, Mason and Amarah Johnson made a block that riled up the crowd and started the Eagles’ comeback. The Lady Eagles went on a 9-2 run and took the set 27-25.
Riding the energy from the crowd and their comeback in the second set, the Lady Eagles built a 13-7 lead in the middle of the third set and went on to close out the match.
“It feels great. The energy was awesome. We had multiple sports teams [in attendance],” Paulk said.
The team is in Washington, D.C., this weekend to play in the two-day Georgetown/George Washington Event against George Washington, Georgetown and Temple.
