Box Score | Spartan Classic Schedule
NORFOLK, Va. – Looking to get off to a good start to open the 2010 season, the Norfolk State volleyball did just that, sweeping Navy, 3-0, Friday night in the nightcap of the first day of the Spartan Classic.
Following a 3-1 win over Providence earlier in the day, NSU moved to 2-0 on the young season after taking down the Midshipmen, 25-19, 26-24, 25-22 in front of a crowd of nearly 200.
“The girls stepped up,” said interim head coach Brandon Duvall. “They aren't intimidated. In both matches there were plenty of times when we were down, but the girls stayed with it, stayed consistent and pushed through and got some great, well-deserved wins.”
Sophomore Charlotte Armstead and redshirt sophomore Paige Gary-Canty led the way with 10 kills apiece, while junior Nicole Kessner posted 34 assists. Sophomore Maatra Henderson had a team-high 14 digs.
Freshman Arielle Knafel added 10 digs and eight kills, while rookie Noelle Eagles contributed 11 digs and four service aces. Junior Jasmine Frazier also added eight kills on the night as NSU hit .165 for the match.
The Spartans held Navy to a .105 attack percentage, although the Midshipmen did hold an 8-4 advantage in blocks. Maida Kalic' led Navy with nine kills, while Holly Berger added a match-high 15 digs.
For the third time on the day, Norfolk State found itself down by a 7-3 score to open a set, as the Spartans struggled early on in the first set and had to call a timeout to slow things down.
“They don't get rattled too easily,” said Duvall. “Things happen. You are going to make mistakes. Miscommunication errors, things like that. In the long run we'll get those fixed, but this early in the season you kind of expect it.”
Navy extended the lead to 11-4, but from there Norfolk State would take control. The Spartans won four straight points to get back into the match, then ran off a 9-0 run to swing the momentum around into a five-point lead.
Following a kill by Armstead, Eagles kept the run going with two straight service aces before making a diving stop on a ball to keep the play going and get the crowd to its feet. Gary-Canty later finished off that play by drilling the ball down the line for a kill that had fans cheering for more.
“Noelle Eagles was fantastic,” said Duvall. “She flew all over the court and did more than what we could have expected out of that position, especially as a freshman.”
Eagles gave the crowd what it wanted with two more service aces during that 9-0 run before Navy was able to stop the bleeding down 17-13. The Spartan lead grew to six at 19-13 after an attack error on Navy, and the Midshipmen got no closer than five points the rest of the way as a kill by Armstead ended the first set at 25-19.
After dropping the first two points, NSU turned it right back around and took a 7-4 lead at the beginning of the second set after Knafel practically went sideways to put down an off-balance kill.
Navy was unable to string more than two straight points together, eventually calling a timeout down 14-9. Following some back-and-forth play, Navy finally got closer at 18-16 after three straight points then got to within one at 19-18.
Duvall called a timeout there, but the Midshipmen tied it up at 20-20 and then again at 22-22 before finally taking a one-point lead off a service ace. NSU called a timeout down 23-22, and Armstead kept play alive at 24-24 when she laid down a kill. Two straight attack errors on Navy's Caroline Jacobs ended the set with NSU victorious, 26-24.
Kessner added 14 assists in the third set, but not before Navy took control early with a 5-0 lead. That lead did not last long for the Midshipmen, as NSU won six straight points and 10-of-12 following that early five-point deficit.
Some miscommunication in the backcourt forced NSU to ask for a whistle up 12-10, and two kills by Frazier during the mid-portion of the set helped the Spartans grow the lead to four at 18-14. After Kessner earned a kill to make it 20-15, Navy called its second timeout of the set and then rattled off four straight points to cut the deficit to one at 20-19.
Duvall asked for time at that point, and NSU was golden the rest of the way, thanks to three kills by Gary-Canty, including the last play of the match as the Spartans won, 25-22.
“She's been injured for two straight years, but to come out and play the way she did, I'm very proud of her effort,” said Duvall about Gary-Canty.
Action gets underway Saturday morning in the Spartan Classic at 10 a.m., with NSU set to play at noon against UNC Greensboro and then at 4 p.m. against Kent State.
