Box Score NORFOLK, Va. – Facing a 2-0 hole in the first home match of the season, the Norfolk State volleyball team swung momentum back in its favor but ultimately fell short in the quest for a victory in a 3-2 loss to Stetson Friday evening at Joseph Echols Hall.

The third and final match of the day in the Spartan Classic saw Stetson take the first two sets, 25-19, 25-17. The Spartans returned the favor in the next two sets, 25-23, 25-22, but the Hatters prevented the full NSU comeback with a 15-9 win in the fifth set.

Kaley Melville put the Hatters (3-8) on her back, totaling 19 kills with eight digs and six blocks, while no other player had more than seven kills. Senior Charlotte Armstead tallied 12 kills to lead NSU (2-6), while freshman Jessica Johnson and senior
Beatriz Ferreira each added 10.

Despite hitting better than Stetson in the first set, NSU could not pull away early. Johnson and junior Coralie Jarema had back-to-back kills for a 10-9 lead, but the Hatters used an 11-2 run to pull out to an eight-point lead, 20-12. NSU was unable to overcome that deficit, and the results showed in the second set when the Hatters took a 13-2 lead to start the stanza.

A 5-0 run, highlighted by several Stetson errors, got NSU no closer than seven. The Hatters took a 2-0 lead in the match, but NSU rebounded with a 6-4 lead in the third set thanks to a couple of blocks from Ferreira. Down 11-8, Stetson later went on a 5-1 run to take the lead back.

Jarema added a couple of key kills and then put her early serving miscues behind her with a pair of service aces for a 23-21 lead in that third stanza. Stetson was forced to call timeout at that point, but Armstead laid down kills for NSU's last two points of the set.

The teams went back and forth in the fourth set, but Johnson and junior Goda Jankauskaite each threw down a kill to help the Spartans grab an 8-7 lead. A little later, a 7-2 run by NSU, including two more service aces from Johnson, put NSU up 15-12. Sophomore Adriana Ramos and Jarema each added key service aces to prevent Stetson from tying it up, and Armstead again put down a timely kill as the Spartans forced the final set.

NSU faced an early deficit, but a perfectly-placed kill from redshirt sophomore Noelle Eagles put the Spartans up, 7-6. It was all Stetson from there, though, as the Hatters finished the match on a 9-2 run.

NSU gave away 21 points on service errors despite having 10 service aces. Eagles and Ramos had 16 and 14 digs, respectively, while freshman Darcy Moore posted 38 assists with nine digs. Jarema had 12 digs, seven kills and three blocks.

Monique Russell had 21 digs for Stetson, while Ellen Hawks posted eight blocks. Kelli Carneal split time at setter and finished with 24 assists and 10 digs. Stetson hit .203 for the match compared to .147 for NSU and also led in blocks, 11.5-7.

NSU will host UNC Wilmington and Rutgers at 1 and 6 p.m. Saturday in Echols Hall during the second day of the Spartan Classic. Stetson and Rutgers will play at 10 a.m. as well.