Oct. 30, 2011

Box Score

By Dan Ryan
B-CUAthletics.com

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Previous Senior Days for Bethune-Cookman volleyball only had to deal with honoring the athletes playing their final home match in historic Moore Gym. In addition to recognizing Linda Nwabuko and Frances Rodriguez, Sunday's 3-1 (25-19, 25-20, 22-25, 25-23) loss to South Carolina State had extra importance: The Lady Wildcats were still competing for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southern Division championship.

South Carolina State's 3-0 loss to Florida A&M on Friday brought Bethune-Cookman to one match behind both the Bulldogs and Rattlers, but the Bulldogs (15-13, 6-1 MEAC) restored the status quo in B-CU's home finale.

True, the Lady Wildcats (10-16,4-3) are still mathematically alive for a title, but so are the Jacksonville Jaguars and most of the Republican presidential candidates in their respective championship races.

“Let's be realistic, no one thought we had a shot at winning the championship when the season started,” said B-CU coach Isaac Raphael. “It was cool that we're still alive at this point.”

What wasn't cool was B-CU giving up 14 service errors and nine receive errors.

“It's too late in the season to be making those kind of mistakes,” Raphael said. “You can't win against a good team doing that.”

Krysta Gardner had 22 kills – her fifth 20-kill match of the season – and recorded her tenth double-double of the season with ten digs. Janeen Davis posted 18 kills and eight digs. Jennifer Jimenez posted 20 digs and Aubrianna Curtis had 35 assists.

“Aubrianna's first game as setter was the last time we played South Carolina State,” Raphael said. “This showed how far she's come.”

In the third set, B-CU led by four points several times before SCSU came back to ties at 21 and 22. Two blocking points – one by Nwabuko and Curtis and another by Gardner and Aria Cormier – helped the Lady Wildcats win the set.

B-CU travels to Stetson Tuesday at 6 p.m.