Sept. 8, 2010
Final Stats
By ALEX PODLOGAR
FAYETTEVILLE, NC - Sixty-six minutes.
That was all the Fayetteville State Lady Broncos needed to record what doubled as their first victory of the season as well as their first CIAA win after a quick straight-set victory over Johnson C. Smith at Felton J. Capel Arena on Wednesday night.
Octavia Wynn (So., Hope Mills, NC) and Samantha Meeks (Sr., Laurinburg, NC) had six service aces apiece while Meeks added 12 kills as the Lady Broncos were rarely threatened in a 25-11, 25-18 and 25-13 victory.
It was the perfect way for the CIAA runner-ups to begin their 2010 season.
"That it was a conference match made it extra important for us to come out in good form," said Fayetteville State coach Rasheemah Johnson. "I thought we played well."
Achari Mainor (Sr., Antioch, CA), who like Meeks was an All-CIAA player last season for Fayetteville State (1-0), recorded a game-high 21 assists while also picking up two aces. Joining Mainor with two aces each were JaMisha Jordan (Fr., Fayetteville, NC) and Molly Farrington (Fr., Fayetteville, NC), two of the team's eight freshman.
"We do have a lot of freshmen, and as they get better, we should only get better," said Johnson, whose program has advanced to the CIAA title game in each of the last three seasons.
There were very few moments of trepidation for the Lady Broncos. When Fayetteville State did trail, as it did for much of the second set, it remained even-keeled. Down 16-13 at one point, the Lady Broncos responded with a 12-2 run to end the set and take a commanding 2-0 lead into the third game.
Johnson was pleased with the way her team handled the modest adversity it faced.
"We maintained our composure, and that was the main thing I wanted to see out of our team tonight," she said. "I thought we showed a lot of maturity by not allowing that landslide to continue and take over."
Fayetteville State's strongest suit was probably its service game.
"We did a very good job with our serving and had very few service errors," Johnson said. "For a jump-serving team like us, that's excellent."
The Lady Broncos will take part in the CIAA Volleyball Roundup on the campus of Winston-Salem State over the weekend, with games against St. Paul's and Virginia Union on Saturday and matches against Chowan and Virginia State on Sunday.
"It gives us an opportunity to gauge where we are compared to the rest of the conference," Johnson said. "We're looking forward to it."
Sharelle Hatley led the Lady Golden Bulls (0-4) with five kills while Shameaka Randolph had four. Amber Alexander had a team-high eight assists.
