Oct. 26, 2010
FAYETTEVILLE, NC - It wasn't how the Fayetteville State Lady Broncos started. It was how they finished.
The Lady Broncos trailed near the end of each set, but used three late scoring bursts to claim a straight-set victory over Winston-Salem State in volleyball on Tuesday night at Felton J. Capel Arena.
With one regular season match remaining, Fayetteville State (12-6, 12-5) downed the Lady Rams (11-13, 11-6) by the scores of 25-22, 25-23 and 25-23.
As close as the scores were, they still don't reflect just how tight the match was throughout each set. The Lady Broncos trailed 22-19 in the first set, 21-18 in the second and 20-17 in the third set, only to rally from behind each time.
And that is a good sign for Fayetteville State going forward as it prepares to try to make a fourth straight run to the CIAA Championship.
"It really is good that we are able to battle back and fight from adversity," said head coach Reeshemah Johnson. "But on the flipside, that's not always a position you want to find yourself in."
While Johnson may be looking for a late-season killer instinct to emerge, it may have done just that with the way the Lady Broncos closed each set. They used a 6-0 spurt that featured two aces from Jessica Hardy (Fr., Fayetteville, NC), a 7-2 run in the second set on the strength of kills by Hardy and Samantha Meeks (Sr., Laurinburg, NC), and then rallied with an 8-3 run in which Octavia Wynn (So., Hope Mills, NC) had a kill and an ace as Meeks added two late kills to earn the victory.
Wynn was spectacular throughout for the shorthanded Lady Broncos, who were without Joi Emanuel (So., Charlotte, NC) and had just limited play from Mount Olive Classic All-Tournament player Ifeyinwa Nwokolo (So., Greensboro, NC). Wynn finished with 10 kills and only two attack errors, with five of those kills coming in the pivotal second set.
"As a freshman, Octavia played a major role in getting us to the championship game last year in the CIAA Tournament," Johnson said. "This year, that is the kind of role I expect to see Octavia play. I expect her to be a leader, and when she does play well, it doesn't surprise me."
Meeks and Hardy added six kills apiece while Achari Mainor (Sr., Antioch, CA) had a game-high 21 assists. Molly Farrington (Fr., Fayetteville, NC) also stepped in at setter, providing depth for the Lady Broncos and contributing eight assists. Meeks and JaMisha Jordan (Fr., Fayetteville, NC) added a game-high eight digs each.
Fayetteville State hosts Shaw on Thursday in the regular season finale before preparing for the CIAA Tournament, which begins on Nov. 5 in Hampton, VA. The team will honor seniors and All-CIAA players Meeks and Mainor at the match, which is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
Winston-Salem State was led by Ashley Harris' nine kills and Kiara Brown's 18 assists. Eric Cole added eight digs.
