Oct. 4, 2009
Box Score
HAMPTON, Va. - Sophomore outside hitter Christine Edwards (Lakewood, Calif.) recorded a game-high 14 kills and added four digs as the University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team cruised to a straight-set (25-12, 25-14, 25-19) victory over North Carolina Central at Hampton's Holland Hall Sunday.
The Hawks improved to 11-6 on the season while holding the Eagles to a -.011 attack percentage. Conversely, UMES hit .244 with Samantha Chukwura (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Thonya Joseph (Bridgetown, Barbados) and Edwards each hitting over .300 on the day.
Whitney Johnson (Prince Frederick, Md.) and Chukwura chipped in with eight kills apiece in the win while Caylin Woodward (Garden Grove, Calif.) led all players with 12 digs. Karin Vikterlof (Orebro, Sweden) also finished in double digits in digs with 10. Vikterlof also tallied a match-best five service aces.
UMES outdug NCCU, 41-25 for the match.
Bella Jade Romero (Arlington, Texas) directed the Hawks' offense, collecting 31 of the team's 33 assists.
UMES led, 14-6, in the first game when the Eagles took their first timeout after a Johnson ace. The Hawks opened a 10-point advantage at 21-11 on a Chukwura kill and limited NCCU to just one more point the rest of the game.
The second game was knotted at 10 before UMES pulled away. Zoe Bowens (Long Beach, Calif.) made it 14-10 on an ace and Vikterloff closed the game with an ace of her own to put the Hawks up, 2-0.
NCCU's Shantel Moore and Avaniki Champbell combined on a block to earn the first point of the third game but UMES never trailed the rest of the way.
Joseph gave UMES a five-point lead at 17-12. Edwards made it 20-13 on a kill and three NCCU errors and a Johnson kill gave the Hawks the win.
For NCCU (6-16), Belinda Behncke-Biney tallied a team-high nine kills while Kiara Brown had 12 assists and Raven King had nine digs.
UMES opens MEAC play at Morgan State on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
