ELIZABETH CITY, NC- Vikings Volleyball captured their first conference win Thursday night on the road at Virginia Union. The Vikings took care of the Panthers in just three sets (25-23, 25-22, 25-17). 
 
ECSU continues its winning streak with six consecutive wins, improving to a 9-2 overall record, 1-0 CIAA. Junior Aasia McNeil (Statesville, NC) and freshman Jada Rouse (Rock Hill, SC) both ended the night with ten kills, and junior Elizabeth Kellum (Jacksonville, NC) tallied 21 assists.
 
"I am proud of the fight in our girls tonight," said head coach David Brooks. "To be down 19-11 on the road in the first set, it would have been easier to just look towards the second set, but our girls did not give up and came all the way back to win the first set 25-23. It wasn't our prettiest night offensively, but our defense saved us again. Anytime you keep a team to negative hitting, you give yourself a good chance to win."  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: 
Set 1: Using the home-court advantage, the Panthers took control of the first set early on, forcing the Vikings to fight to stay in the game. The Panthers held a 19-11 lead and seemed to have had the first set in the bag, but a kill by Jada Rouse followed by a kill from Mariah Griffin gave the Vikings a momentum boost. The Vikings chipped away at the Panthers lead and tied the score at 20-20. The battle to 25 was intense, but the Vikings pulled it out and won the set 25-23.  
 
Set 2: In the second set, it was clear that the Vikings were settling into the team they have been all season. They took an early lead at 9-3, forcing the Panthers to use a timeout. The Panthers came out of the timeout aggressive and were able to fight their way back into the game, claiming the lead at 14-11 before the Vikings used a timeout to regroup. Like the first set, the Vikings found themselves fighting to regain control of the set. After tying the score at 20-20, the Vikings and the Panthers were in for another intense ending to a set. A big kill from Kellum followed by a block from the front row was enough for the Vikings to put the set away at 25-22.   
 
Set 3: With neither team pulling away to a comfortable lead, both teams played aggressively yet cautious about limiting their mistakes, with the score knotted at 13-13. However, the Vikings slowly pulled ahead after a kill from Kellum with Jada Rouse behind the service line gave ECSU an edge. The Vikings went on a six-point scoring run, securing their largest lead of the set at 19-13. The Vikings ended the match with a kill from Kellum to secure the set 25-17, and the win 
 
"I'm super proud of the girls," said junior Alexus "Dani" Elliot. "This was a great conference win and a great way to start conference play. We're just getting started." 
 
The Vikings will be back in action on Saturday, September 25th, at home against Emory and Henry College at 3 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