FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Fayetteville State continued its late-season surge Thursday evening, sweeping Johnson C. Smith 25-12, 25-11, 25-10 in CIAA volleyball action at Felton J. Capel Arena. The victory extended the Broncos' winning streak to nine matches and improved their record to 20-4 overall and 17-3 in conference play.
Fayetteville State controlled the match from start to finish, recording 26 kills, 12 service aces, and a .188 hitting percentage while holding the Golden Bulls to just 11 kills and a -.109 hitting percentage.
Mya Hejl led the Broncos with five kills on six attempts without an error for an outstanding .833 hitting percentage. She also contributed four blocks and a service ace.
Amori Johnson, Aolani Cannon, and Kyla Powell each added four kills, while Destiny Washington chipped in three kills and two blocks.
Fayetteville State's serving pressure proved to be one of the difference-makers. McKenna Miller tallied four service aces, while Delaney Sheridan added three aces. Jasmine Culp, Melissa Gonzalez, Nicolette Connell, and Hejl each contributed an ace.
The Broncos' setter duo of Melissa Gonzalez and Giovanna Teixeira combined for 17 assists, with Gonzalez dishing out a team-high 11 and Teixeira adding six.
Defensively, Culp recorded a team-high five digs, while Connell added six digs and Sheridan contributed two digs to help limit the Golden Bulls to just 33 total points in the match.
Fayetteville State took control early in the opening set, using a balanced attack and strong serving to build separation before securing a 25-12 victory. The Broncos hit .286 in the frame while holding Johnson C. Smith to just four kills.
The Broncos continued to apply pressure in the second set, breaking away midway through the frame behind a series of service runs and defensive stops. Fayetteville State limited the Golden Bulls to a .000 hitting percentage and cruised to a 25-11 win to take a 2-0 advantage in the match.
Fayetteville State closed out the match with its most dominant performance of the evening in the third set. The Broncos raced out to an early lead and never looked back, holding Johnson C. Smith to five kills and a -.154 hitting percentage en route to a 25-10 victory. Fayetteville State finished the set with a .250 attack percentage to complete the sweep.
Johnson C. Smith was led by Mariah Dulan and Lapri Cromer, who finished with four and three kills, respectively.
The Broncos have now won nine consecutive matches and have swept each of their last two opponents, surrendering just 59 total points over six sets.
Fayetteville State returns to action on Monday, Nov. 2, when it travels to face Bluefield State in Bluefield, W.Va.. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. Fans can follow the match through FSUBroncos.com and by following @FSUBroncos on social media.
