Trevin Q. Goodwin

RICHMOND, VA – The Winston-Salem State Rams (16-14) pulled off the upset when the team took a five-set win over the Virginia Union Panthers (12-15) in the quarterfinal round of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Volleyball Championship Tournament. After taking a falling behind, 1-2, the Rams stormed back for back-to-back wins in the final two sets of match to claim the upset victory.

The Rams saved one of their best performances of the season for Tuesday’s match. As a team, the Rams totaled 55 kills in the match while holding the Panthers to just 41 kills. WSSU sophomore middle blocker Alexis Gregson-Hammond led the way for the Rams with a career-high 17 kills in the match. Fellow outside hitter Danyale Berry added 10 kills while junior outside hitter Ytae Cobb returned from injury for nine kills and four total blocks (two solo).

Winston-Salem State took control of the match with a dominating opening set. The two teams got the match started in dramatic fashion, playing to a 12-12 tie before the Rams broke out for five unanswered points that included a service ace from freshman Myra Wallace. The effort left the Rams on top, 16-12. Virginia Union would come back to tie the match, 18-18, but the Rams had just the answer. The Rams went on a 6-1 run to take a 24-19 lead. Virginia Union added one more score before freshman Alexis Bynum sealed the set win with a kill that gave the Rams the 25-20 opening set win.

The Rams struggled in the second and third sets. Virginia Union took 25-19 and 25-17 wins in the second and third sets. The Rams struggled to start the second set, falling behind 2-8. The Rams would climb back into the set, 17-18 before allowing the Panthers to outscore them, 7-2 to close the set. The third set saw a bit more of the same as the team struggled early in the set. The Rams fell behind, 2-6 to start the set. The Rams would fight back as a kill from junior Miranda Taylor pulled the Rams to within a point 6-7. Later in the set, the Rams struggled behind by as many as 10 points, 10-20 before staging a late rally. However, in the end, the Rams ended the set with a 19-25 loss.


It was then that the Rams stormed back for dominating performances in the fourth and fifth sets to claim the win. The Rams jumped out early in the third set with a 10-4 lead. After allowing the Panthers to pull to within four points, 13-9, the Rams took control of the set for good with a four-point run that included a pair of Wallace service aces. From there, the Rams cruised to the 25-15 win and tied the match, 2-2 and sent the match into a fifth set.


There wasn’t much room for drama for the Rams in the fifth set. The Rams took control of the set early. WSSU jumped out scoring the first three points of the final set to claim a three-point early lead. From there, the Rams kept their three-point cushion at 10-7 before they allowed three points to the Panthers to tie the set, 10-10. After a WSSU timeout, the Rams never looked back as they outscored the Panthers 5-1 to take the set and the match. The run included three kills from Gregson-Hammond.


With the win, the Rams improve to 16-14 overall and pull off the upset win after entering the tournament as the third seed from the CIAA Southern Division and defeating the second seed from the CIAA Northern Division. The team advances to the semifinal round of the 2018 CIAA Volleyball Championship Tournament in Salem, Virginia and will take on the top seeded Shaw Lady Bears, Friday. For more information on Rams volleyball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.
 

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Chowan Volleyball team saw their 2018 season come to an end as Fayetteville State picked up the straight sets victory in the CIAA Volleyball quarterfinals on Tuesday evening.

THE BASICS

FINAL | Chowan 0, Fayetteville State 3

RECORDS | Chowan 11-17, Fayetteville State 15-11

LOCATION | Fayetteville, N.C. (Capel Arena)

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

Milica Vejnovic paced the Hawks with five kills. Kayla Gates, Breona Young, and Courtney O'Keefe finished with four kills each.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Set:

Fayetteville State led 6-2 early before the Hawks cut the deficit to 9-7. Two kills by Courtney O'Keefe and a kill by Milica Vejnvoic sparked the rally.

The Broncos pushed the lead to 19-8 on a 10-1 run before a kill by Kayla Gates ended the rally. Sydney Hinerpicked up a service ace.

Courtney O'Keefe tallied a kill before the Broncos took the set 25-12.

Second Set:

The second set would start like the first set as Fayetteville State led 6-2 early. Milica Vejnovic registered a kill along with a service ace by Meghan Mutter.

Chowan would chip away at the deficit to trail 9-6 on Broncos' errors. FSU stretched their lead to 23-8 and took the set 25-11.

Third Set:

Fayetteville State continued their momentum to lead 8-2 early in the set. Chowan would benefit from errors and a kill by Kayla Gates to force a timeout at 9-6.

The Broncos were handed points on attacking errors by the Hawks to improve their advantage to 20-7.

Micayla Pope tallied a kill to end the drought but the Broncos would take the set and match, 25-11.

UP NEXT

Chowan ends their season in the quarterfinals for the first time during their tenure in the CIAA. The Hawks finished the season with an 11-17 overall record.
 

Derek W. Bryan (Photo Credit – Frank Mitchell III)


BOONE, N.C. (November 3, 2018) – Howard University Men’s Soccer team ended the regular season on a sour note, falling to the Appalachian State Mountaineers, 3-0.


Offensively, HU (2-9-3, 0-4 SBC) was limited to only two shots on the night. Graduate student Joel Cunningham (Spanish Town, Jamaica) and junior Andres Gomez (Silver Spring, Md.) each took a shot in the loss.

Nearly halfway through the first period, App State’s Camden Holbrook gave the Mountaineers a 1-0 advantage at halftime.


Over 10 minutes after intermission, Appalachian State’s Austin Hill found Ian Bennett for a score, 2-0.


At the 73-minute mark, the Mountaineers’ added an insurance goal, thanks to Alex Hernandez, 3-0.

Defensively, Howard had seven stops on the night. Junior Carlos Caro (Silver Spring, Md.) had a match-best six saves in the loss.


On Nov. 7-11, coach Phillip Gyau and the Bison travel to Statesboro, Ga. for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Date, time, and opponent to be announced.


For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.
 

MATT MCCANN

NORFOLK, Virginia — In a heated battle against Norfolk State, senior Lucia Babic (Sisak, Croatia) registered 15 kills as the University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team hit .365, leading to a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-20, 25-23).

“Norfolk came to fight hard and we started all three sets down.” Hawks coach Trevor Callarman. “But we showed a ton of adversity. We stayed the aggressor tonight - serving, passing and hitting the ball. We also ran the middles better. There’s a still some defensive things to work on, but I feel we are hitting our peak at the right time.”

Maryland Eastern Shore (8-14, 5-2 MEAC) also received eight kills from senior Rachel Kayongo (Northridge, California) who hit .400 for the match. Freshman Mauri Carver (Elizabeth City, North Carolina) went 4-for-5 to hit .800, junior Ivana Blazevic (Zagreb, Croatia) went 2-for-5 to hit .400 and junior Lidia Chery (Garfield, New Jersey) hit 3-1-6 to finish at .333.

The Hawks were also impressive with blocking, earning six to the Spartans one. Freshman Alexis Lee (Wilmington, Delaware) led with three assists. Carver, Blazevic, Chery and sophomore Sola Okesanjo (Chicago, Illinois) added two assists.

“This week we focused a lot on the middles and the connection with the setter.” Carver said. “Everything just felt a lot better tonight, and that helped me get into a rhythm.”

Senior Koya Sowells (Missouri City, Texas) finished with a match high 12 digs.

Norfolk State (3-16, 2-6 MEAC) nearly matched the Hawks in kills with 34, which helped them keep the sets close. The Spartans were the first to rally in each of the first two sets, requiring The Shore to comeback. Anna Rupertova led Norfolk in kills with 10, and Taylor Eichelberger added a match best four aces.

“We battled back by being more aggressive.” Babic said. “Our hitting got better and it helped us win.”

The victory, coupled with the Norfolk State loss, gives the Hawks a berth in the 2018 MEAC Championship at Howard. The next three matches against Howard (Nov. 4), Coppin State (Nov. 9) and Morgan State (Nov. 11) will determine seeding.

“As a freshman it’s very exciting to make the tournament.” Carver said. “The biggest thing is to keep pushing and to know that we are not done yet! We are going to work to get the championship we want.”

First serve in the Howard match is set for 3 p.m. Sunday at Burr Gymnasium in Washington.
 

RALAN WARDLAW

SALISBURY, Maryland — Following Thursday’s (Nov. 1) 10 Mile Tipoff exhibition game versus Salisbury University, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore men’s basketball team holds a 0-0 record, but they suffered a lost in their first action against outside competition. The Hawks dropped their exhibition game against the Sea Gulls 67-60 at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center.

“This is my lost,” head coach Clifford Reed said. “We were outclassed, outcoached and outworked.”

“But adversity reveals a man to himself so I have to look in the mirror at myself and start there in order for us to get better.”

The Sea Gulls took their first lead on one of their 13 3-pointers halfway through the first half and did not look back. Their lead grew to 11 at halftime and to as many as 16 in the second half.

As Salisbury filled it up from outside, the Hawks were not able to find their touch from behind the arc. Eastern Shore only made two 3-pointers, which came from forward Tyler Jones on the game’s opening possession and from guard Ahmad Frost on the game’s last possession.

Jones finished the game as one of three Hawks that finished with double figures as he had 15 after being a perfect 5-5 from the floor and 4-4 from the free throw line. Forward AJ Cheeseman led the Hawks in scoring with 17 and guard Bryan Urrutia had 11 for the Shore. Forward Gabriel Gyamfi chipped in all eight of his points in the second half on 4-4 shooting.

Salisbury had a balanced attack on offense as they had nine players score led by local product Gary Briddell who had 19 points including five 3-pointers. Mike Ward was also in double figures for Salisbury as he scored 13.

The Hawks next time out will be on Tuesday, Nov. 6 as they travel to Washington, DC to take on the Georgetown Hoyas to open the 2018-19 season. Tip is set for 8:30 p.m. The game can be heard locally on Fox Sports Radio 960 AM WTGM or on EasternShoreHawks.com. Fox Sports Networks will carry the game on television. Will DeBoer will have the call on The Shore Sports Network.

For more information on Eastern Shore Athletics visit http://www.easternshorehawks.com/.

DEREK W. BRYANT
(Photo Credit – David Sierra)

WASHINGTON (November 3, 2018) – After a tough homecoming loss, coach Mike London and the Howard University Football team rebounded with a 31-23 victory over conference leader Florida A&M (FAMU) at Greene Stadium.


“It’s huge,” London expressed after the game. “In this conference, you better bring your ‘A’ game every Saturday. It was disappointing last week, but to beat the number one team at our place, [and] celebrate with our fans and players, it’s really special.”


With the win, HU (4-4, 4-2 MEAC) gave the Rattlers (6-3, 5-1 MEAC) their first conference loss of the season while keeping their Celebration Bowl hopes alive.


“I’m proud of this team,” London continued. “[We] lost all our linebackers except one, our best corner [Bryan Cook] was out, and [we were] playing a true freshman on their best receiver [Chad Hunter]. I’m out there holding my breath and those guys are out there playing. [It’s] true to the next guy up mentality.”

Despite giving up nearly 450 total yards offensively to the Rattlers, Howard’s defense made stops down the stretch and held Florida A&M to only six points after intermission.


“The defense was put in some uphill positions, but they were able to respond back,” said London. They did a phenomenal job. This is one of the games that all three elements had to contribute. This win was truly a team effort.”

Offensively, the Bison racked up 420 total yards, including 247 on the ground. Sophomore tailback Dedrick Parson (Philadelphia) led the way with a game-high 149 yards and a TD.


“He’s been like that all year,” London stated on Parson’s performance. “He’s had some phenomenal games for us. It’s refreshing to see a young man [with] that never says die and never quit attitude. [It] is the epitome of what effort is and hanging in there. I’m so proud of him.”

HU capitalized all four chances inside the red zone, including three touchdowns.

FAMU took the early lead, 7-0, but a pair of touchdown passes from second-year signal caller Caylin Newton (Atlanta) and a 11-yard TD run by Parson gave HU a 21-10 advantage after one.

After Florida A&M trimmed the margin before halftime, 21-17, Howard extended the lead back to double digits with a 1-yard QB sneak over the top from Newton on fourth down, 28-17.

Early into the fourth, FAMU answered and sliced the deficit down to a one-possession game after a 15-yard TD pass from Ryan Stanley to Xavier Smith, 28-23.

Freshman kicker Faraji Joseph (Greensboro, N.C.) pushed the lead to eight, 31-23, after a 24 yarder.

FAMU’s next possession ended with a touchback interception by newcomer Jalen Smith (Virginia Beach, Va.), followed by a turnover on downs with under a minute remaining.

Junior wideouts Kyle Anthony (Miramar, Fla.) and Jequez Ezzard (College Park, Ga.) each scored a TD while safety Tye Freeland (Petersburg, Va.) led the defense with nine tackles (eight solo), a forced fumble, and INT in the victory.

On Nov. 10, Howard goes to Norfolk, Va. for their final road test at Norfolk State. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.


For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.

Kevin C. Buczeb

PICTURED: Archived photo of NCCU freshman setter Isis Mitchell (Red Rocket Photography), who had a 34 assists in Friday’s win against Savannah State.




DURHAM, N.C. — Freshman setter Isis Mitchell recorded 34 assists to propel the North Carolina Central University volleyball team to a 3-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division win over Savannah State University to begin NCCU’s Homecoming athletic festivities Friday evening.



The Lady Eagles hit .302 and held the Lady Tigers to a negative hitting percentage in rolling to the 25-13, 25-15, 25-12 triumph. NCCU (5-17 Overall, 3-5 MEAC) jumped ahead of Savannah State (3-18, 2-5) in the league standings for the final playoff position from the Southern Division with one week left in the regular season.



NCCU next hosts South Carolina State University on Sunday at Noon.



NCCU HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:


A quartet of Lady Eagle starters had big outings attacking the ball. Sophomore Christine Alcox led all players with 12 kills and finished with a .364 hitting percentage. Senior Whitney White hit an impressive .636 on the way to nine kills while fellow middle blocker freshman Morgan Goodwin blasted eight kills at a .250 clip. Freshman outside hitter Arlanda Faulkner chipped in seven more kills at a .316 rate.


White had four block assists and Goodwin contributed one solo block and one block assists as they joined Alcox for 10-plus point performances.


Mitchell tallied 34 assists on NCCU’s 42 kills and flirted with a double-double with seven digs. She also served up two of the four maroon and gray aces.


The Lady Eagles had a strong defensive showing with senior libero Erika Ianovale topping all players with 17 digs. Faulkner added 10 digs.



SAVANNAH STATE HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:



The Lady Tigers struggled offensively and did not have a player with more than four kills. Sophomore Tyran Chenault highlighted play for the visitors with two solo block and four block assists. Sophomore setter Salma Gonzalez settled for 12 assists and junior libero Liz Ortiz Munoz tallied 10 digs.



SET-BY-SET:



1ST: The Lady Eagles hit .312 in the opener to coast to the 12-point win. Alcox and Faulkner both blasted four kills and Ianovale made eight digs.



2ND: NC Central scored the first five points and led wire-to-wire. Goodwin accounted for eight kills, including an overpass spike on set point.



3RD: The Lady Eagles, who were tied twice in the first set, completed the match never trailing Savannah State. NCCU scored the first four points and never looked back with its most lopsided win. The Lady Eagles crushed 16 kills on 29 attempts with just three errors for a sizzling .448 hitting percentage. White and Alcox each smashed a half dozen kills.
 

GAFFNEY, S.C. – The Chowan Men's Soccer team was 2:39 away from heading to a penalty shootout to determine the Conference Carolinas Men's Soccer Championship match, but the Limestone Saints would find the game-winner in double overtime.

THE BASICS

FINAL | Chowan 0, #19 Limestone 1

RECORDS | Chowan 11-4-2, #19 Limestone 13-3-1

LOCATION | Gaffney, S.C. (Saints Field)

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

Trevin Myers tallied two shots in the contest. Lee Wattam and Denis Roule also posted a shot in the loss.

Elliot Chadderton tallied seven saves in the loss.

Elliot Chadderton, Octavio Espino, and Jamie McNicholas were named to the Conference Carolinas All-Tournament team.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half:

Limestone would post the first shot of the contest in the 8' as the attempt sailed wide right.

Denis Roule would have a dangerous look at the cage as Roule on the breakaway hit the post in the 23'.

Elliot Chadderon made an easy save in the 43' to keep the match even before the half.

Second Half:

The defensive battle continued early in the half. Limestone had a strong look at goal, but Elliot Chadderton would punch the ball out of danger in the 54' to keep the match scoreless.

Limestone had a chance in the 68' with the headed attempt. Elliot Chadderton would stop the attempt.

Trevin Myers' headed attempt off a long throw would be stopped before crossing the line.

Elliot Chadderton would keep the match level as Limestone ripped a shot from the left side of the box in the 79'.

Neither team was able to find the back of the net in regulation.

First Overtime:

Limestone went on the attack in the first minute of overtime was stopped by Elliot Chadderton and cleared out of danger.

The Saints tried to slide one in in the waning seconds of the overtime but as the horn sounded, Elliot Chaddertoncorralled the attempt off the corner.

Second Overtime:

Trevin Myers posts a shot in the 103' but the attempt sails high over the post.

Limestone would find the back of the net in the 108', much like the regular season meeting for the game winner.

UP NEXT

Chowan awaits their fate for an at-large bid in the NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament with the Selection show happening on Monday at 6pm. More details will be released when available.