Sunday: vs. Howard, 3 p.m.
Live Video
Live Stats
NORFOLK, Va. – Refreshed following a week away from competition, the Norfolk State volleyball team will continue its six-game homestand as Howard arrives in town for a 3 p.m. matchup on Sunday at Joseph Echols Hall.
As with every NSU home game, live stats and a live video feed will be available for the match. Cost of the live video feed is $5 for the 24-hour pass, which must be bought the day of the event.
Originally scheduled as a home match in Washington, D.C., Howard was forced to move the contest to Norfolk with the ongoing renovations in their gymnasium. The Bison, who won't host a match on their home court until Oct. 28, will play at Hampton on Friday prior to their match with the Spartans. Howard also returns to Echols Hall on Nov. 4.
NSU comes in with a 5-9 overall record, including a 1-1 slate in the MEAC. The Bison own a 1-16 record, 0-1 in conference play leading into the Hampton match, with their only win against Princeton. In Howard's first MEAC competition of the year, the Bison took Delaware State to five sets before dropping the 3-2 contest.
Junior Beatriz Ferreira has led the Spartans in kills the last four matches and ranks second on the team with 2.69 kills per set. Junior Charlotte Armstead sits first with 2.94 kills, while freshman Adriana Ramos (2.29) and senior Jasmine Frazier (1.82) also provide plenty of offensive punch in the lineup.
Junior Kristen Burt has averaged 9.02 assists, while senior libero Tracey Copley contributes 2.88 digs per set, including 4.58 in her last five matches filling in for injured starter Noelle Eagles. Armstead has been NSU's top blocker with 0.65 per set, and Frazier has a team-best 0.31 service aces.
Early MEAC Standings
Hampton sits atop the early MEAC Northern Division standings with a 2-0 record, while both Morgan State and UMES have won their first conference matches of the year. NSU and Delaware State each own a 1-1 mark, while Howard (0-1) and Coppin State (0-3) remain winless in league play.
South Carolina State leads the Southern Division with a 2-0 record.
MEAC Rankings
Armstead ranks third in the league in hitting percentage at .255 and sixth in kills with 2.94 per set. Ferreira stands 10th in both hitting percentage (.219) and kills (2.69), while Burt ranks third in assists with 9.02. Copley has begun moving up the rankings in digs and now stands ninth with 2.88.
As a team, NSU ranks first in the league in digs at 14.00 per set, with Hampton second at 13.09. The Spartans also rank second in kills (11.80) and opponent hitting percentage (.180), third in assists (10.84), and sixth in hitting percentage (.142).
Can You Dig It
Only three times in 14 matches has NSU had less digs than its opponent. With Eagles out, Copley has had at least 20 digs in three of the past five matches. On the flip side, only three times has NSU had more blocks than its opponents.
Wear Pink Next Week
Next Friday's match against Delaware State at 7 p.m. at Echols Hall will be Breast Cancer Awareness Night. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match, as NSU will revive its pink uniforms from last year. More activities surrounding the match and the fight against breast cancer will be announced next week.
Hampton Highlights
NSU dropped a 3-1 decision to Hampton last week, including a fourth set in which the Spartans stormed back to force extra points. Click here to watch highlights of that match, and click here for interviews with Burt, Ferreira and head coach Brandon Duvall after the Coppin State win. As always, check out the NSU athletics YouTube page for all videos concerning the Spartans.
About Howard
Along with Delaware State, Howard has also taken Binghamton to five sets, but the Bison still own just that one victory over Princeton. Howard has played a difficult schedule, facing teams such as Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Rutgers and Memphis, to name a few, in non-conference play.
Tosin Elebute, a first-team All-MEAC player a year ago, continues to lead the Bison offense, providing 3.62 kills per set, with the next-best player, Taylor Johnson, at 1.36. Stephanie Shultis and Jasmine King have split time very evenly at setter, as the pair combines for a little more than eight assists per set. Riana Cain (3.18 digs) and Elebute (2.25) provide the backcourt defense, while Johnson is a big presence up front with 0.89 blocks. Despite opponents averaging three and a half more kills and twice as many service aces, Howard does have an edge in blocks, 1.67-1.47 per set.
Up Next
NSU will host Delaware State next Friday at 7 p.m. for Breast Cancer Awareness Night before welcoming UMES to Echols Hall on Oct. 16 at 3 p.m.
