Box Score
NORFOLK, Va. – Even with the crowd behind them, the Norfolk State volleyball team was unable to finish off Delaware State as the Spartans fell, 3-2, Saturday evening in the Spartan Invitational at Joseph Echols Hall.
Down 2-1, NSU rallied with a thrilling 29-27 win in the fourth set and had momentum in the fifth, but the Hornets took control late to win, 15-9. NSU won the first set, 25-23, before Delaware State won the next two sets, 25-18 and 25-21.
The loss dropped NSU to 5-11 on the season, while Delaware State improved to 7-8.
Freshman Noelle Eagles tied her school record with 30 digs as part of a very strong defensive effort by the Spartans. NSU totaled 90 digs as a team, topped this season only by the 98 the team had against UNC Greensboro Aug. 28 when Eagles first set the school record.
The effort was also the second-most digs the team has had since late 2007.
Sophomore Charlotte Armstead continued her strong play on the day with a career-high 19 kills along with six blocks. Sophomore Ellica Morris totaled 13 kills, while freshman Arielle Knafel posted a double-double with 11 kills and 20 digs. Junior Nicole Kessner totaled 42 assists on the day as well.
NSU hit .083 for the match, compared to .182 for the Hornets, who also committed just 24 attack errors compared to the 42 for NSU. The Spartans did have the slight edge in blocks, 8-7, and digs, 90-85, while the Hornets had a 5-2 advantage in service aces.
Jessica Croucher had 16 kills to lead the Hornets, while Sonja Banicevic proved why she's the MEAC leader in digs after totaling 33. Martina Ferrari handed out 44 assists and also added 17 digs.
Armstead and redshirt sophomore Paige Gary-Canty got things going for NSU when they teamed for the block for an early 2-0 lead to start the match. NSU extended the lead to 6-3 on a kill by Morris after Armstead ended a long rally the point before with a kill.
A kill by Kessner after faking the set and a kill by Knafel put NSU up, 12-8, and a short time later Delaware State called time down 18-14 after junior Jasmine Frazier lofted an easy kill just over the blockers. NSU continued to roll, going up 24-18 on a kill by Armstead before DSU went on a 5-0 run to close the gap to 24-23. Armstead's seventh kill of the set was enough to give NSU the 25-23 first-set win the very next serve.
In addition, Eagles totaled nine digs in the first set.
A kill by Morris off a backcourt defender, the fifth of five straight kills for the Spartans, put NSU up on top early in the second set, 7-1. The Hornets responded, using a 5-0 run to get back into the set. The Spartans maintained the lead up to 14-11 before DSU used a 5-0 run again to go up, 16-14.
Another surprise kill by Kessner got NSU to within one at 19-18, but a 6-0 run by the Hornets quickly ended the set and any NSU rally, 25-18.
Armstead's kill from a middle attack gave the Spartans a 4-1 lead to start the third set, but the Hornets slowly chipped away at the lead until a 4-0 run gave them an 11-9 advantage. A service ace by Knafel was part of a 3-0 run that tied the score at 13-13, but NSU got no closer than two beyond that point as a later 4-0 run helped the Hornets eventually take the set, 25-21.
A diving save of the ball by Gary-Canty sparked NSU as the fourth set got underway, as back-to-back attack errors on DSU's Erica Tajchman made it 6-3 Spartans. The teams went back-and-forth from there, that is until a kill by Morris ended a 4-0 run and gave the Spartans a 15-9 lead.
Armstead threw down a big kill that deflected off a defender and into the seats for a 19-14 lead, but a 6-0 run by DSU gave the ¬Hornets a 20-19 advantage. NSU saved match point on four separate occasions as the set went into extra points, then Armstead had a solo block in the middle of the net off a backcourt attack and Knafel threw down a right-side kill as the Spartans seized momentum with a 29-27 fourth-set win.
Much like the first set, Armstead had seven kills and Eagles totaled nine digs in the fourth set.
A left-side kill by Morris sparked NSU to a 4-3 lead to start the fifth set, but a 7-0 run, helped by several Spartan attack errors, gave the Hornets a 10-4 lead. DSU called a timeout after a block by Kessner and Armstead cut the lead to three at 12-9, but again the Hornets were ready as they took the last three points for the 15-9 win.
The Spartans will be back on the court next Saturday at the UMES Invitational against Coppin State and Maryland Eastern Shore before kicking off conference play Oct. 4 against Florida A&M.
