Spartan Classic
Friday: Stetson vs. UNC Wilmington, Noon
UNC Wilmington vs. Rutgers, 4:30 p.m.
NSU vs. Stetson, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday: Steson vs. Rutgers, 10 a.m.
NSU vs. UNC Wilmington,1 p.m.
NSU vs. Rutgers, 6 p.m.
Live Stats | Live Video
NORFOLK, Va. – After opening the season with a pair of road tournaments, the Norfolk State volleyball team will show off in front of a home crowd for the first time this year as NSU hosts the Spartan Classic Friday and Saturday at Joseph Echols Hall.
Stetson, UNC Wilmington and Rutgers will join NSU for the two-day event, with each school playing one match against the other three. Stetson and UNC Wilmington will get things going Friday at noon, while Rutgers and UNC Wilmington will follow that up at 4:30 p.m. The Spartans host Stetson at 7:30 that night as well.
Then on Saturday, Stetson and Rutgers will battle it out at 10 a.m., and NSU will conclude the tournament by facing UNC Wilmington at 1 p.m. and Rutgers at 6 at Echols Hall.
Live stats will be available for every match of the tournament, and in addition, a live video feed will be provided for each match as well. The link for live stats is the same for each match.
NSU enters the tournament 2-5 overall, while Stetson carries a 2-7 mark after defeating Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday. UNC Wilmington (4-3) and Rutgers (7-1) each own winning records on the season.
The Spartans are led by senior Charlotte Armstead, who has tallied a team-high 3.19 kills on a .295 hitting percentage to go along with 0.88 blocks per set. Also providing plenty of offense is senior Beatriz Ferreira, who averages 2.60 kills, and freshman Jessica Johnson (1.64 kills) and junior Coralie Jarema (1.62). Freshman Darcy Moore has posted 8.65 assists, while Jarema adds 0.38 service aces per set as well.
On the defensive side, Armstead has formed a solid blocking trio along with Jarema (0.96 blocks per set) and junior Goda Jankauskaite, who missed the first weekend of play but averaged 1.07 blocks last weekend. In the backcourt, redshirt sophomore Noelle Eagles averages 3.88 digs, with Jarema (1.92) and sophomore Adriana Ramos (1.88) also providing defensive support.
One Heck of a Stat Line
In the win over Providence last Saturday, Armstead had one of the better stat lines seen on an NSU box score in the Division I era. The senior hit .600 with 22 kills and just one attack error on 35 attempts. She fell four kills short of the all-time program mark of 26 in one match. Only four other times has an NSU player in the D-I era hit better than .600 (with at least 10 kills), but not once did any of those players do so with at least 20 kills.
One Record Down, One to Go
Armstead had a big weekend last time out, tallying 4.14 kills and 0.86 blocks per set while hitting .389 during the Robert Morris/Duquesne Invitational last week. Her performance allowed her to surpass Dianne Harris for the most career blocks at NSU. Harris previously held the record at 219, while Armstead now sits at 224 career blocks.
In addition, Armstead inched closer to the all-time kills record. She was fourth prior to the season, but now sits second at 862. She needs just 75 more to tie Kim Mumford at 937 and surpass a mark that has stood for 17 years.
About UNC Wilmington
The Seahawks defeated Delaware State in the opening weekend of play to go along with wins over Winthrop, High Point, Campbell, and also lost to Wake Forest by a 3-2 margin. UNC Wilmington owns a 4-3 mark heading into Friday.
Christi Laite (3.36 kills per set), Morgan Kline (3.10) and Jennifer Mallard (2.90) form a dominating trio on offense, with Victoria Philips handing out 8.45 assists. Meredith Peacock and McKenzie Keightley tally 1.22 and 0.91 blocks per set, with Haley Collins and Lindsay Hartmann posting 2.95 and 2.33 digs per set, respectively.
About Stetson
Prior to Tuesday's 3-0 win over Bethune-Cookman, Stetson's only victory on the season was against Alabama State. The team went 0-4 at its own Stetson Clarion Classic last weekend, including a 3-1 loss to Hampton.
Kaley Melville leads the way with 2.54 kills per set, with Ellen Hawks (2.09 kills), Cailyn Prewitt (1.97) and Catherine Coston (1.92) also providing plenty of offensive support. Kelli Carneal and Kayla Weller have split time at setter so far this year. Monique Russell has tallied 4.69 digs per set, with Melville (3.14) also chipping in. Hawks is by far the team's best blocker with 0.91 blocks.
About Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights suffered their only defeat Aug. 25, 3-0 to Miami (Fla.), but since then have compiled five straight wins, including the last four by a combined 12-1 score over New Hampshire, Iona, Rhode Island and Lafayette.
Alex Lassa leads all players with 4.05 kills per set despite missing some matches, with Kylie Orr (3.41) and Sarah Schmid (3.32) also leading an explosive offense. Stephanie Zielinski averages an impressive 11.42 assists per set, while Alex Jones and Schmid have posted 0.84 and 0.77 blocks, respectively. Tracy Wright anchors the backcourt with 4.23 digs.
Up Next
NSU will face a daunting schedule of Washington State and Air Force one day, then Colorado and CSU Bakersfield the next during the Air Force/Colorado Invitational next weekend.
