WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Sophomores Erin Cooke (17 kills, 29 assists) and Lauren Talbert (13 kills, 12 digs) registered the first double-doubles of the season to help the Presbyterian College volleyball team knock off North Carolina Central 25-14, 25-21, 25-27, 25-18 at Reynolds Gymnasium on Saturday evening at the Spartan-Demon Deacon Classic. The Blue Hose conclude the opening weekend of the season 1-2, while NCCU falls to 0-3.

Notables

-Cooke's 17 kills equaled her career best, and her .262 hitting percentage led the way for PC. Her 29 assists were one shy of her career high. The double-double was the ninth of her career.

-Talbert's 13 kills came within one of tying her career high, while she tied for second on the team with her 12 digs. It was the sophomore's seventh double-double of her career.

-Senior Erin Eulitz registered a career-high 35 digs in the contest, which tied for the fourth most in a single match in PC's DI era (2007-present).

-Freshman Gracie Davis turned in double-digit kills (12) for the first time in her collegiate career.

-Junior Sierra Jones compiled a season-high 28 assists and added nine digs. Both Cooke and Jones have recorded double-digit assists in each of the Blue Hose three matches.

-Junior Caroline Henderson posted double-digit digs for the second straight match, notching 12.

-Freshman Taylor James (Accokeek, Md.) made her collegiate debut off of the Blue Hose bench.

How it Happened

-The Blue Hose came out strong, starting the match with a 6-0 run. Leading 10-4, a 7-1 spurt helped PC stretch the advantage to 17-5. The Blue Hose held a comfortable margin for the remainder of the set. Cooke, Davis, and Talbert each registered five kills in the opening set.

-NCCU grabbed a 5-2 edge to begin the second set, but Presbyterian answered quickly with four straight points to take the lead. After briefly falling behind again 7-6, the Blue Hose tallied the next three to regain the advantage. PC extended the margin to 21-14 before the Lady Eagles mounted a charge to get within 22-21, but a pair of kills by Cooke and an ace by Talbert clinched the set for the Blue Hose.

-The third set was back-and-forth throughout, with neither team leading by more than two points until PC grabbed a 19-16 edge. The Blue Hose went on to hold a 22-18 lead, but the Lady Eagles rallied to even the score at 23-23. PC held off a pair of set points before NCCU claimed the third set to force a fourth.

-The Blue Hose started the fourth set on an 8-3 run, and led wire-to-wire. The Lady Eagles climbed back within a point on three occasions, but Presbyterian College answered each time to keep NCCU at bay.

Up Next

The Blue Hose head to Morehead, Ky., to take part in the Eagle Challenge next Friday and Saturday, Sept. 6-7. PC will face the hosts, Morehead State, and Providence on Friday, and Georgia State on Saturday.