Box Score

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Junior Nicole Kessner posted a triple-double and set the school record for career assists, but the Norfolk State volleyball team was unable to complete the comeback in a 3-2 loss to South Carolina State Wednesday night.

Kessner totaled 26 assists on the night at Dukes Gymnasium to give her 1,972 assists for her career, moving past Solange Honore, who previously held the school's top mark with 1,971.

NSU rallied after dropping the first two sets by 25-20 scores. The Spartans took the third set, 25-23, and the fourth set, 25-21, before the Bulldogs took care of business in the fifth set, 15-9.

The loss dropped NSU to 4-2 in the MEAC South Division and into a tie with the Bulldogs, who upped their MEAC mark to 4-2 and their overall record to 11-20. NSU fell to 10-17 overall.

Kessner also had a team- and career-high 13 kills and finished the triple-double with 10 digs. It marked the first triple-double by an NSU player since Shea Kersey had 10 kills, 11 digs and 13 assists against Delaware State on Oct. 15, 2005.

Sophomore Ellica Morris added 11 kills, while freshman Arielle Knafel and sophomore Charlotte Armstead each added eight. Freshman Noelle Eagles had a match-high 20 digs, while junior Jasmine Frazier contributed five blocks.

NSU, though, was done in by 41 attack errors, with South Carolina State posting a 17-10 edge in blocks. The Bulldogs hit .149 with 32 attack errors, while the Spartans attacked at a .047 clip. NSU led in digs, 64-54, while S.C. State had a 6-3 edge in service aces. After struggling the past several matches, the Spartans committed just six service errors compared to 15 for the Bulldogs.

Jarne Gleaton had 18 kills to lead all players and also added 12 digs. Bria Brimmer had 44 assists with 10 digs, while Tiffane' Jackson had a match-high nine blocks.

NSU got behind early at 5-3 in the first set, but after tying it up at 5-5, the Spartans went down by five at 12-7 before the Spartans called a timeout. After a kill by freshman Mykal Vailu'u made it 16-11, the Bulldogs extended the lead to as much as eight on three occasions, the last at 24-16.

Armstead added two kills in a 4-0 run to close out the set and make it 24-20, but a kill by Gleaton ended the set on the next serve.

A solo block by Armstead helped NSU take a 5-4 lead to kick off the second set, and back-to-back kills by Morris and Kessner gave the Spartans a 9-7 lead a short time later. After a timeout there by the Bulldogs, they went on a 6-1 run to take the lead back, eventually getting it to four at 16-12 before NSU called time.

A solo block by Frazier got the Spartans to within two at 18-16, but after Morris' kill made it 20-18 S.C. State, the Bulldogs took the next three points and went on for the 25-20 win.

With their backs against the wall, it didn't look good for the Spartans early in the third, falling behind 5-2. Down 7-5, though, NSU reversed fortune and used a 7-0 run to build a 12-7 lead. The advantage held up despite a 5-1 run by the Bulldogs, and NSU was able to extend the lead to four at 21-17 after a kill by Morris.

The Bulldogs were not done, tying the set up at 21-21 when Morris had her attack blocked. A service error on S.C. State gave the Spartans a 22-21 lead, and after the teams traded points over the next few serves, back-to-back errors on Gleaton allowed NSU to take the set, 25-23.

A wild fourth set saw the Bulldogs eventually take a 7-4 lead after Desire Waller knocked home a service ace, which forced an NSU timeout. Whatever was spoken during that minute break worked, as the Spartans went on a 10-0 run, with S.C. State burning both timeouts in the middle of the run, for a 14-7 lead. NSU added six kills during that run, including three from Morris.

NSU needed every one of those points, as the lead dwindled to two at 15-13 following a 5-0 run by the Bulldogs. Redshirt sophomore Paige Gary-Canty made it 19-14 with a service ace, but again S.C. State trimmed the lead to two at 22-20 before Kessner and Morris added kills that led to a 25-21 fourth-set win.

The Spartans fell behind, 5-2, to begin the fifth set, but a kill by Morris helped cut the lead to one at 7-6. Knafel's kill again cut the lead to one at 9-8, but a 3-0 run by the Bulldogs doomed NSU as S.C. State went on for the 15-9 win.

The Spartans will turn right back around and face Savannah State Thursday at 7 p.m. before getting more than a week off.