ELIZABETH CITY, NC –After an abysmal start, the Virginia State University Trojans Volleyball team nearly completed the comeback against Elizabeth City State but ultimately fell short in the fifth set (12-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-21, 6-15)

Game Notes

• The CIAA digs leader in Najlaa Williams led the match once again with a ridiculous 19 digs which gave her a new career-high.
• Zaria Irons and Amaya Cooper each lead the Trojans offense with eight kills which was the highest number of kills Irons has had all season while Cooper ended with a .207 attack percentage.
•  For the fifth time this season, Kennedy Hoge finished with multiple aces as she earned two in the hard-fought loss.
• Amaya Cooper led the team with five blocks.
• Emma Quarles led the Trojans with 13 assists while Makenzy Johnson had eight.

 
 
How It Happened
SET 1 | The first set got off to an unideal start for the Trojans as they allowed the Lady Vikings to score seven straight to make the score 2-9. Later in the set, ECSU went on another run scoring six of seven points to go up 9-22. The Lady Vikings went on to take set one 12-25.

SET 2 | The following set was much like the first as ECSU scored eight points in-a-row to take a 2-9 lead. As the Trojans attempted to claw their way back with the score at 12-17, the Lady Vikings were able to hold off the Trojans to go up two sets 21-25.

SET 3 | With their backs against the wall, the Trojans went on a 6-1 run to take a 11-5 lead. Zaria Irons and Amaya Cooper teamed up for a couple kills to go up 16-10. As the Trojans went up 21-14, the Lady Vikings came back to cut the lead down to just five at 23-18. The Trojans fought ECSU off to stay alive in the match 25-19.

SET 4 | The fourth set got off to a back-and-forth start as the Trojans earned the slight edge 8-7. After the Trojans scored four of five points thanks to a kill by Zaria Irons, their leads grew to 12-8. Midway through the set, the Trojans continued to control the set 19-13 thanks to back-to-back kills from Zaria Irons and Jennah Kareem. Feeling the set slip away, ECSU scored four straight to make the score just 21-18. The Trojans were able to even the match after winning set four 25-21.

SET 5 | The start of the deciding set started with the Trojans taking a 4-2 lead thanks to a pair of kills by Amaya Cooper. The Trojans picked the wrong time to allow the largest scoring run of the match as ECSU scored 10 points straight. The Lady Vikings would go on to take the deciding set 6-15.


What's Next
The Trojans will get a chance to take their frustrations out this weekend as they travel down to Raleigh, NC the participated in the second CIAA Volleyball Roundup as the team has their work cut out for them. The squad will face Winston-Salem State at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 8. At 5:00 p.m. they will take on Johnson C. Smith. On Sunday, October 9 the Trojans will end their final Volleyball Roundup of the season taking on St. Augustine' s at 3:00 p.m.


Stay Connected
For the most up-to-date information on VSU Volleyball please visit www.govsutrojans.com, follow Trojans Athletics on Twitter @VSUsports and on Instagram @vsutrojansvolleyball.