ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – Top-seeded Fayetteville St. advanced to the CIAA Volleyball Championship match with a straight-set victory over Elizabeth City St., 25-11, 27-25, 25-21, Tuesday afternoon at the Rocky Mount Event Center. The win improved the Broncos to 24-4 overall and secured a spot in Wednesday's championship match.
Fayetteville State came out strong in the opening set, using a dominant service run led by Giovanna Teixeira, who recorded four aces during a 10-point stretch that helped the Broncos turn a 13-7 lead into an overwhelming advantage. The Broncos hit .417 in the first set and cruised to a 25-11 victory.
The second set proved to be the most competitive of the match. Elizabeth City State built a 23-18 lead and later held set point at 24-20 before Fayetteville State mounted a furious comeback. The Broncos scored seven of the final eight points, highlighted by key kills from Kemyah Harris and a pair of late blocks, to claim a 27-25 win and take a commanding 2-0 lead.
Trailing 15-8 in the third set, Fayetteville State once again responded under pressure. The Broncos used a 17-6 run to close the match, with Harris, McKenna Miller, and Mya Hejl delivering critical points down the stretch. A final attack error by the Vikings sealed the sweep and sent Fayetteville State into the championship match.
Harris paced the Broncos offensively with 15 kills while hitting .353 and added five digs. Erin Johnson contributed six kills and hit .455, while Hejl posted five kills and two block assists. Teixeira directed the offense with 19 assists, four service aces, and eight digs, while Melissa Gonzalez added 12 assists. Defensively, Jasmine Culp led all players with 19 digs as the Broncos finished with 66 digs and seven service aces.
Elizabeth City State was led by Kendall Washington with 11 kills and 10 digs, while Cameron Mitrovich added seven kills. Golden Brown recorded 23 assists for the Vikings.
Fayetteville State finished the match with 40 kills, seven aces, and a 66-47 advantage in digs while limiting Elizabeth City State to a .057 hitting percentage.
For the third consecutive season, Fayetteville St. is headed to the CIAA Championship match. After finishing as runner-up to Shaw in its first title appearance and capturing the 2025 conference crown, the Broncos will have an opportunity to become back-to-back CIAA champions when they face Livingstone on Wednesday at noon in the Rocky Mount Event Center.
Fans can follow the action and find more information at FSUBroncos.com and on Fayetteville State Athletics social media channels.
