Live Stats
NORFOLK, Va. – Following three straight weekends on the road, the Norfolk State volleyball team returns home to the comfy confines of Echols Hall for the Spartan Invitational Saturday against Davidson and Delaware State.
NSU will host Davidson at 11 a.m. and Delaware State at 6 p.m., with those two teams also playing each other at 3 p.m. This weekend also marks the start of a month-long stretch in which the Spartans play nine matches at home.
Live stats for all three matches can be found here.
The Spartans come home with a 5-9 overall record, winning two-of-three matches at the UNC Greensboro Spartan Spiketacular last weekend. NSU defeated Gardner-Webb, 3-1, and Morgan State, 3-0, with the win over G-W breaking a six-match losing streak.
On the offensive side of the ball, freshman Arielle Knafel continues to lead the team up front, averaging 2.69 kills per set. Sophomore Charlotte Armstead ranks second on the team with 2.06 kills, while sophomore Ellica Morris, coming off a big weekend, comes in at 1.61 kills. Redshirt sophomore Paige Gary-Canty and junior Jasmine Frazier also provide offensive punch with 1.88 and 1.82 kills per set, respectively.
Junior Nicole Kessner directs the offense with 7.74 assists, while sophomore Kristen Burt has filled in with 4.26 assists. Defensively, freshman Noelle Eagles, at 3.82 digs per set, and Knafel, at 3.12, rank 1-2 on the team, with Gary-Canty third at 2.16 digs.
Frazier and Armstead provided the blocking up front with 0.59 and 0.49 blocks per set, respectively. Knafel also leads the way in service aces with 0.37.
As a team, NSU holds the advantage over opponents in kills (10.9-10.2 per set) and digs (13.0-11.7), while opponents have the edge in service aces (1.9-1.5) and blocks (2.3-1.2).
Morris' Big Day
Morris proved too much for Gardner-Webb last Friday, as she totaled 21 kills to break her previous career high of 13 set last season. It also marked the third-highest total by a MEAC player this year, behind UMES' Zoe Bowens (22) and Knafel, who had 23 in the first match of the season against Providence. Morris also had 15 the next day against UNC Greensboro.
An Early Glimpse of Conference Play
Having already defeated Hampton, 3-2, and Morgan State, 3-0, NSU will try to make it 3-0 against MEAC Northern Division teams against the Hornets on Saturday. With Coppin State and UMES on tap for next weekend, the Spartans will get a good glimpse of where they stand within the MEAC come conference play and where they will stand next year when they move into the Northern Division.
Moving Up
Kessner moved past Dianne Harris last weekend into second all-time in assists, as she now has 1,587 for her career. At 1,971, Solange Honore is the last person standing between Kessner and the all-time top spot. Kessner also moved past Harris last weekend and took sole possession of 10th place in career digs with 392.
Armstead appeared on the top-15 list for kills, as she now has 297 for career, moving past Shardonay Blueford who had previously owned 15th place with 292. Armstead also ranks 12th in block assists with 66, while Burt stands eighth in assists with 206.
MEAC Leaders
As a team, NSU ranks second in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.194), kills (10.94 per set) and assists (10.10), and third in service aces (1.45) and digs (13.00). Individually, Knafel sits second in service aces (0.37 per set), fourth in points (3.22) and sixth in digs (3.12). Kessner and Eagles rank fourth in assists (7.74) and digs (3.82), respectively, while Gary-Canty also ranks eighth in service aces at 0.30 per set.
For individual match performances, Knafel still has the most service aces by a MEAC player with eight, achieved at Hampton, and points with 26, set against Providence. Gary-Canty has the third-highest attack percentage by a MEAC player this year at .526 (13-3-19), set against the Friars. Kessner's 48 assists and Eagles' 30 digs against UNC Greensboro Aug. 28 still stand as the third-best marks by a conference player in their respective categories as well, along with Morris' 24 points against G-W.
Knafel also has the third- and sixth-highest total attack attempts at 58 and 51, and Frazier is tied for the third-highest total blocks with seven.
About Davidson
The Wildcats will look to get back on track Thursday against North Carolina A&T before coming to Norfolk, after Davidson dropped all three matches in the Nfinity Wildcat Classic last weekend to fall to 6-7 on the season. Despite having not played each other, Davidson and NSU are well aware of what each team can do after Davidson swept Radford and Canisius and lost to East Tennessee State at the Radford Tournament earlier this month, the same tournament where NSU fell to all three of those teams.
Bringing a balanced attack, Davidson has six players who have seen significant time on the court and average more than 1.00 kill per set, led by Sarabeth Peele at 2.82 kills. Hayley Lawson and Ariel Ley have split the starts at setter and average 6.84 and 5.04 assists per set, respectively.
On the defensive front, Jennifer Chamblee (2.41), Molly Crenshaw (2.29) and Christine Perzinski (2.04) rank 1-2-3 in digs per set, while Jorden and Madison Benedict anchor the defense at the net with 0.78 and 0.73 blocks per set, respectively.
As a team, Davidson leads opponents in kills per set (11.4-10.3) and service aces (2.0-1.3), while opponents statistically rank better in attack percentage (.201-.194), digs (11.5-11.1) and blocks (2.5-1.7).
About Delaware State
Owning a 5-8 record after a three-match sweep at the Lafayette Tournament last weekend, the Hornets and Spartans have played two common opponents: Gardner-Webb and Navy. Both teams beat Gardner-Webb by 3-1 scores, while NSU beat Navy, 3-0, with the Midshipmen taking down Delaware State, 3-1.
Sarah Wheatcroft is one of three players with more than 2.00 kills per set, as she comes in averaging 2.38 kills, with Erica Tajchman (2.22) and Elisa Hermann (2.04) ranking second and third on the team. Martina Ferrari ranks first in the MEAC with 8.69 assists per set, while Sonja Banicevic also leads the MEAC with 5.09 digs per set.
Wheatcroft stands second on the team with 3.00 digs and is the team's leader at the net with 33 total blocks (0.66 per set). Megan McDonald (0.74) and Brooke Redmon (0.70) also provide solid blocking up front.
As a team, Delaware State has the slight edge in digs (16.6-16.3) and blocks (1.8-1.6) but trails opponents in attack percentage (.180-.157), kills (12.7-11.6) and service aces (1.6-1.1).
Up Next
NSU travels to Maryland Eastern Shore for the UMES Invitational Oct. 2 against Coppin State and the host Hawks before kicking off conference play at home Oct. 4 against nine-time defending MEAC champions Florida A&M.
