The Lady Golden Bulls were swept by Livingstone in this season's volleyball series
Box Score
Charlotte, NC – Despite a strong start in the match, the Johnson C. Smith University women's volleyball team were defeated by divisional rival Livingstone College 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-13) on Wednesday evening inside Brayboy Gymnasium. JCSU moves to 9-18 overall, 5-11 in the CIAA, and 2-7 in the Southern Division. The Lady Golden Bulls saluted two senior student-athletes in their last home match of the season; libero Vernisha Silver (Rocky Mount, NC) and middle hitter Leticia Harris (St. Thomas, VI).
Johnson C. Smith needed to move up in the standings for the opportunity to compete in the 2010 CIAA Volleyball Championships. The top four teams in each division advance to the championship playoffs. JCSU trailed nearby rival Livingstone by one match in the divisional standings; this loss may mean elimination from postseason contention.
The Lady Golden Bulls jumped out to a 13-5 lead in the first set which led to a 25-21 loss. Livingstone put together a strong offensive attack led by LaShaundra Ferguson to rally back in the opening set. J.C. Smith was still competitive in the second set, but miscues in rotations resulted in a 25-19 loss in the second. Both losses seemed to take the steam out of JCSU as the Lady Blue Bears surged to a 25-13 win in the third game.
The offensive attack was spread out for Johnson C. Smith, junior outside hitter Tahlia Jolicoeur (Marietta, GA) had a team-high four kills. Junior outside hitter Jennifer Williams (Mitchellville, MD), junior middle hitter Montavia Hawkins (Ft. Washington, MD), and Harris each had three kills apiece.
Ferguson shouldered the load for Livingstone with a match-high 17 kills with a .682 hitting percentage. Shannon Allen contributed with 15 assists and five kills of her own.
JCSU finishes the regular season on Friday, October 29th on the road against unbeaten divisional champion Saint Augustine's College. Match play is scheduled for 6:00 pm inside Emery Gymnasium in Raleigh, NC.
