ELIZABETH CITY, NC- The Vikings picked up a 3-1 win against former CIAA opponent Chowan University on Tuesday night (24-26, 25-21, 25-19, 25-14). 
 
The Vikings tallied 46 kills with the Hawks right on their tail with 45. 
 
Both defenses shined during the match with at least 90 digs a piece. Junior outside hitter Aasia McNeil (Statesville, NC) led the Vikings with 14 kills and 23 digs. Freshman outside hitter Jada Rouse (Rock Hill, SC) followed up with 12 kills and 14 digs. Junior setter and right-side hitter Elizabeth Kellum rounded out the leaderboard with 37 assists, 11 block,s and a lone ace.
 
The Vikings lost the opening set 24-26 despite jumping out to a 15-10 lead. A round of substitutions for the Hawks pulled them back into the set as they closed the gap to a 17-16 lead, forcing the Vikings to call a timeout. From there, both teams traded points, with the Vikings holding on to their lead and the Hawks fighting back to tie the score at 21-21. A handful of errors from ECSU solidified the set win for Chowan at 24-26.  
 
ECSU called its first timeout of the second set down 9-10 after a scoring run from Chowan put them on top. Out of the timeout, the Vikings rallied to tie the score at 16-16. It was a race to 25 from there as both teams kept the game exciting. A service run from freshman libero Naijya Leggett (Atlanta, GA) at 20-20 set the Vikings up to take the set at 25-21. 
 
The Vikings took a 2-1 lead in the match with another narrow 25-19 win in the third set. Though Chowan struck first, ECSU quickly bounced back to take the lead at 11-7. In doing so, they were able to separate themselves from the Hawks on the scoreboard as they created a smooth sailing to the end of the set 25-19.  
 
ECSU won the fourth and final set of the match 25-14. The Vikings jumped out to an early and strong lead of 10-4 before Chowan called their first timeout. The Hawks were unable to outpower the Vikings as they hit .464 to the Hawks .000.  This was a great offensive set as ECSU had no attacking errors. The Vikings would finish the match 24-14 before packing up to head back home. 
 
The Vikings will be back in action on Thursday, October 28th, home against Lincoln University of Pennsylvania at 6 pm.
 
Follow Elizabeth City State Athletics via its official website at www.ecsuvikings.com to get pre-and post-game stories and updates.
 
ECSU Athletics is also on social media, follow us on Twitter at @ECSUVikings and Instagram at @ecsusports