FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Elizabeth City State volleyball earned its first win of the 2025 season in emphatic fashion, sweeping Johnson C. Smith, 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-19), Friday afternoon in the second match of three for the Vikings at the CIAA Round Up 1 hosted by Fayetteville State. The Vikings dropped their first match of the round up against Winston Salem State earlier in the day. 

In the match against the Golden Bulls, the Vikings (1-11, 1-3 CIAA) controlled the match from start to finish, hitting .239 as a team while limiting the Golden Bulls (1-6, 0-4 CIAA) to a -.056 percentage.

Senior outside hitter Clarke Blakemore led the charge with 11 kills, three blocks, and two service aces to pace the ECSU offense. Jorja Hoffmann followed with eight kills, while Christen Brisbane added seven kills and a match-high four aces. Setter Serenity Lunnermon directed the attack with 26 assists and added a service ace of her own. Defensively, Sydnee White anchored the back row with 10 digs, supported by Paola Gonzalez's nine.

ECSU set the tone early, using a .308 hitting percentage in the opening set to grab a 25-19 win. The Vikings stayed in control through the second frame before Blakemore and Brisbane helped close out the sweep with clutch points down the stretch of set three.

The Vikings held decisive edges in kills (34-21), assists (30-19), and total blocks (4-2), while also matching Johnson C. Smith's serving with eight aces.

Elizabeth City State will look to carry its momentum tomorrow against Claflin, their final match of the CIAA Round Up 1.