FAYETTEVILLE, NC - Fayetteville State remains undefeated on the 2012 season after it defeated the UNC Pembroke Braves 3-0 on Tuesday evening at Felton J. Capel Arena in non-conference volleyball action.
The Lady Broncos (6-0) won by scores of 25-20, 25-21 and 25-17, and have not lost a set in the last four matches including three in CIAA play. The Braves fall to 5-8 overall with the loss.
Ifeyinwa Nwokolo (Sr., Greensboro, NC) paced the way offensively for Fayetteville State as she tallied 12 kills and had four block assists against UNC Pembroke. It is the fourth time in the last five matches that she has led the team in kills, and has recorded a combined for 64 kills during the five-game stretch. Joylene Thompson (Jr. Spanish Town, JA) added nine kills in the contest, while Shavon Shaw (Fr., Bethel, NC) and Joi Emanuel (Sr., Charlotte, NC) had eight kills apiece. The eight kills by Shaw are a new career-high for her. Paige Horne (Jr., Southern Pines, NC) dished out a team-leading 17 assists and Molly Farrington (Jr., Fayetteville, NC) had 15 assists. JaMisha Jordan (Jr., Fayetteville, NC) lead the Lady Broncos with 12 digs.
The Fayetteville State defense stepped up against the Braves combining for nine total team blocks, led by four assisted blocks by Nwokolo, to just two for UNC Pembroke. Thompson, Emanuel and Taylor Norris (So., Fayetteville, NC) had three assisted blocks each.
Thompson's five kills in the opening set led the Lady Broncos as they rallied late in the set after trailing by as much as five points at 12-7 before outscoring the Braves 18-8. Emanuel and Nwokolo had three kills apiece in the first set, while Marissa Baker and Shay Peterson collected three kills each for UNC Pembroke.
Fayetteville State trailed just once in the second set, 3-2 after an attack error by Norris, but would control the tempo offensively from that point on as Nwokolo recorded six kills. The Braves made the score close at the midway point cutting their deficit to as close as 18-16, but the Lady Broncos would go on a 7-5 run to end the set. Leslie Millard had four kills for UNC Pembroke.
Shaw would lead the Fayetteville State offense in the third, and final, set with five kills on five attack attempts. The Lady Broncos never trailed in the third set and began by jumping out to 10-4 lead after a service ace by Horne. UNC Pembroke fought back and trimmed Fayetteville State's lead to 13-12, but that would be as close as it got. The Lady Broncos finished the set on a 12-5 run with Thompson serving five straight points. Ashtin Truesdale had a team-high five kills for the Braves.
Fayetteville State will jump back into CIAA action on Thursday, Sept. 20 as it travels to Salisbury, NC to face the Livingstone Blue Bears at 6 p.m.
