Volleyball team is putting forth the effort

By Julie Ayers
Staff Writer

The UNCP volleyball team lost to the Armstrong Atlantic State Pirates on Oct. 5 at the Jones Athletic Complex. Despite the impressive effort of 3-1 games, the Lady Braves still fell short. They dropped to 4-13 on the season and 0-5 in conference.

In games one and two both teams were fighting it out and playing hard. Despite a 9-2 run early in game two, the Lady braves lost control of the game and lost.

They worked hard in game three and rallied back against the Pirates and blew them away in a 30-23 win. But in the end Armstrong was just too much and defeated the Lady Braves.

Coach Beverly Justice was pleased with her teams’ hard effort. “We prepared by working on our team blocking and solid defense,” which the Lady Braves are improving everyday.

She also praised freshman Rebekah Niesborella and sophomore Takeyia Perkins. “They have really stepped up and can play multiple positions,” Justice said.

“Our defense was a lot better-scrappy,” Niesborella added.

Senior Stacey Norton finished with 13 kills and a game-high 26 digs, while freshman Sarah Harrison and sophomore April Newhouse chipped in with 14 kills each. Sophomore Jenn Paroda tallied a game-high 46 assists.

Coming off a win at Augusta State University, the Lady Braves swung back into action Oct. 12 against North Carolina Central at home. The Lady Braves moved to 6-14 on the season, while the Lady Eagles now stand at 15-12 overall.

In game one the Braves had an early 7-3 run and kept the pressure on, leading to a 30-26 win. In game two, the Lady Eagles had 11 errors and made it easy for the Lady Braves to capitalize and win 30-24.

The last game the Lady Eagles had a late run, but it was not enough to pull out a win. The Lady Braves swept Central in game three with a 30-22 win.

“We can start our winning streak, and use this for the second part of our conference games,” Justice said of the two wins.

Harrison had a game-high 10 kills. Junior Kelly Parker and Stacy Norton added eight kills a piece for Pembroke, while Newhouse chipped in with seven. Paroda, a sophomore, guided the UNCP offense with a game-high 36 assists.

Despite a two game winning streak, it all came to an end, Oct. 14 at home when the Lady Braves played University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras. The Lady Braves lost in a 3-0 effort, while UPR improved to 16-1 on the season, while Pembroke dropped to 6-15 overall.

“We did well in game one, but did not make the adjustments in games two and three,” Justice said.

Norton led UNCP with 10 kills and 12 digs. Paroda guided the Pembroke offense with a game-high 36 assists.