Related: Lander Pulls Out Victory Over Volleyball, 3-0
FAYETTEVILLE – The UNC Pembroke volleyball team slipped by Fayetteville State in the first two sets, and then put the Broncos away with a dominant third-set effort, to close out a three-match road trip with a 3-set (25-23, 28-26, 25-14) victory on Saturday evening in Capel Arena.
The victory helped stop a two-game slide for UNCP (12-14) and gave the Braves their fourth-straight series victory as well. It was the fourth loss in the last five outings for Fayetteville State (12-6) who is currently percentage points behind Chowan in the race for the regular season crown in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA).
Nicole Mathews recorded her 15th double-double performance of the season with a team-best 13 kills and 11 digs, while Sabrina Gonzalez hit .625 and turned in a game-best 28 assists. Cecilia Brandon tallied a dozen kills for the visitors as well. Taylor Norris turned in nine kills and hit .304 to pace the Broncos.
The Braves led by as much as 16-10 in the first set of the night, but Fayetteville State won six of the next eight points and climbed to within a point, 23-22, before UNCP put it away. The Broncos led by an early 6-2 count in the second set, but errors forced the hosts to squander a pair of set points. Down 26-25 in the second set, the Braves used an attack error, a kill by Brandon and a service ace by Kirsten Mills to prevail, 28-26.
After halving the first 18 points of the final set of the night, UNCP won six-straight points to grab a 15-10 advantage, and then scored the final six points of the set to win going away. The Black & Gold hit at an impressive .417 clip in the decisive set.
The Braves will be back in action again on Wednesday when they welcome Virginia Union and Mount Olive to the English E. Jones Center for a midweek tri-match. UNCP will open the day against Virginia Union (8-11) at 4 p.m. and close out the night with an 8 p.m. matchup against Mount Olive (5-17). The Trojans and Panthers will square off in a 6 p.m. neutral site contest as well.
