DURHAM, North Carolina — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team fell to the North Carolina Central University Eagles in four sets on Sunday afternoon (October 31) inside the LeRoy Walker Complex.
"We didn't play a bad match, but this was an interesting match because we've been on the road for a while and I think we got a little fatigued," head coach Trevor Callarman said. "We had a lot of energy in the first set and I think we loss some steam down the stretch.
"However, we have to make sure we work on that because in the tournament we need energy multiple days in a row."
In the first set, the Hawks got out to an early 13-8 lead following a kill from senior Marina Cruz. The Eagles would answer that by going on an 11-2 run to take a 15-19 advantage. The Shore would take a timeout at that point.
Maryland Eastern Shore would get six of the next seven points to take a 21-20 lead. Three points later, the frame was tied at 22 and the Hawks would get the last three points to win the set. The points came from a service error by NCCU, a block from freshman Charlize Williams and a kill by Cruz.
NCCU got off to the fast start in the second set as they led 9-5. They kept the pressure on as they would double that lead as the Hawks trailed 11-19. Junior Derionah Abner would get a solo block on the next point to put Cruz on the service line. The squad would get the next two points and force an Eagles timeout.
After the break, NCCU would get a point to lead by six at 14-20. They would commit a service error and that put senior Stella Johnson on the service line for Eastern Shore. She would lead the team to four more points to bring the Hawks within one at 19-20. The Eagles would not let Maryland Eastern Shore get any closer as they would keep control the game from there and win the set with a score of 20-25.
In the third frame, the Eagles got off to a quick start once again and were up 11-4. They would eventually get to a 19-11 advantage for the second straight set. The Hawks would side-out on the next point, but two points later NC Central would get another point and lead 20-13.
With the set winding down, Callarman made a change and brought in sophomore Yazmyn Stewart to serve. Stewart would have a strong showing and helped the team get four straight points and get within three at 20-17. However, the Eagles would respond and outlast the Hawks for a 25-21 win.
The fourth set started 5-0 for the Hawks before NC Central got 10 points in a row to lead 10-5. The Shore began to climb back in the set as two straight aces from Abner brought them within two at 12-10, but the Eagles responded with four straight points. They would keep Eastern Shore at bay down the stretch and take the set 25-19 to win three sets to one.
Cruz had a double-double in the match as she finished with 10 kills and 13 digs. Sophomore Maya Hendricks had 15 kills to lead the team in the category. Sophomore Jalynn Robinson had her second straight strong all-around match. She had 31 assists, five kills, four aces and four total blocks. Each of those totals is a season and career high for her.
Maryland Eastern Shore will now face the conference's two Baltimore schools. They host Coppin State on Friday (November 5) and travel to Morgan State on Sunday (November 7).
