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ELIZABETH CITY – The visiting UNC Pembroke volleyball team used powerful hitting by Cecilia Brandon and Nicole Mathews, as well as holding Elizabeth City State to a meager .092 hitting percentage en route to shutting out the Vikings, 3-0, on Tuesday afternoon in the Vaughan Center. 

The victory stretched UNCP's (5-6) winning streak to four-games and kept the series in favor of the Braves with a 10-0 record between the two schools, while Elizabeth City State (2-6) snapped a two-game winning streak with the loss. The set scores were 25-20, 25-18 and 25-20.

Brandon and Mathews carried a shared game-high 10 kills, while Caroline Pridgen chipped in another nine kills to assist UNCP in out-hitting the Vikings 40-22. Setter Sabrina Gonzalez dished out 33 of the Braves' 36 assists, while libero Ka'asha Jefferies managed 10 digs. The Black and Gold also out-dug (32-23) and out-blocked (5-2) the Vikings.

In the first set, UNCP opened up with the lead on the serving by Mathews, but the Vikings closed the gap and tied the score at 4-4 and briefly took the lead early. Serving by Jefferies and Gonzalez, as well as four kills by Jada Vernon and five by Brandon ended the set in UNCP's favor.

UNCP used an 11-5 run in the middle of set two to take the lead, but an attempted comeback by Elizabeth City State brought the team to within seven points before the Braves finished the set on the Viking's serving error. Finally in set three, Brandon and Mathews attacked the net with four kills apiece as UNCP went on a 5-0 run to start the game with serving by Mathews. With the score nearly tied at 12-11, UNCP inched away for the win as Brandon sealed the game with a kill on the assist by Gonzalez.

UNCP held the Vikings to only four kills in the second set and a -.048 hitting percentage as UNCP posted a greater hitting percentage in all three sets.