Lady Braves Regionally Ranked Ninth By NCAA

INDIANAPOLIS – Coming off a four-game winning streak in Peach Belt Conference action and a 3-0 record last week, the UNCP volleyball team made its first appearance of the season in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Southeast Region Rankings at ninth, announced by the association on Wednesday.

Wingate claimed the top spot, while PBC opponents Armstrong Atlantic and Flagler held tight in second and third, respectively. Lincoln Memorial, Catawba, Tusculum, Newberry and Lenoir-Rhyne ranked above the Braves in order, while USC Aiken was 10th.

The Lady Braves were led by PBC Player of the Week Rebecca Morgan as she delivered 4.15 kills and 3.53 digs per set while hitting .316 to propell UNCP to the No. 3 seed in the PBC Tournament. She began with a modest 10 kills and eight digs in the sweep of Francis Marion on Wednesday, before setting a career-high 24 kills and 17 digs in the epic five-set triumph over Augusta State on Friday evening. She added 20 more kills and 21 digs to become the only PBC player this season to go 20-20 in a match. She is now third in the PBC in kills per set and 11th in hitting percentage.

UNCP will next be in action on November 11 when the team will compete in the opening round of the conference tournament in Augusta, Ga., as the Black and Gold will face the No. 6 seed Francis Marion at 3 p.m.