Oct. 17, 2010

Box Score

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NORFOLK, Va. - The LadyCats of Bethune-Cookman volleyball suffered their first MEAC road loss of the season, Sunday afternoon, as they fell to Norfolk State in straight sets. The LadyCats were unable to generate enough offense and faced challenges with unforced errors which led to the loss.

Norfolk State came out hitting strong in the opening set, recording a .385 hitting percentage. B-CU struggled to keep up, falling into a hole early, from which NSU kept building separation. B-CU collected several small runs in trying to climb back in, but NSU kept their distance and closed out with three scoring runs totaling 10-3 en route to the 25-12 win to open the match.

Still reeling from the heavy defeat, NSU opened the second with a 5-1 start. B-CU refocused and got back into the game, but the Lady Spartans kept the distance until mid-set. The LadyCats made a move and gained some momentum, creating a tie at 13-13 and moving on top, but NSU kept them at bay long enough to regain the lead and create some space as the set wound down, outscoring B-CU 11-4 to close out the 25-18 win.

In the third, B-CU got the jump on NSU coming out of the game break, building up a 7-4 lead. The Lady Spartans were quick to respond and moved on top at 11-10, never surrendering their lead again. NSU doubled up on scoring, leading to the 25-16 loss for B-CU, and a 3-0 match victory for NSU.

Blocks were a challenge in the game for B-CU, but actually for both teams. Despite recent improvements in the blocking game, the LadyCats only collected one block, as compared with NSU's two. Errors were a notable factor in the loss, as B-CU recorded 23 errors to 25 kills, hitting just .018 as a team. Norfolk State kept their errors to 11, creating a challenge for the B-CU defenders, who came up with 49 digs.

Kaiyana Johnson played solid volleyball at the net for B-CU, topping the team with 6 kills on .385 hitting. Jessica Wilson added 5 kills, and came up big on defense for the LadyCats on defense, tallying 11 digs. Topping the B-CU defense, Jacqueline Woodyear collected 15 digs. Alexis Bliese finished with 20 assists in the match.

The LadyCats (5-20, 1-3 MEAC) continue their extended road trip to MEAC probationary member North Carolina Central after a few days of work at home. The next match, against NCCU is set for October 22 in Durham, N.C., with a 6:30 p.m. start.