Box Score BALTIMORE, Md. – The Norfolk State volleyball team overcame a slow start and survived a five-set thriller in a 3-2 win over Morgan State on Friday night in a key conference matchup for the Spartans.

The teams came into the contest at MSU's Hill Field House tied in the MEAC Northern Division standings, but with the victory NSU took over third place from the Bears while also holding the tiebreaker thanks to a season sweep.

After NSU nearly gave away the first meeting earlier this year in Norfolk, the Spartans came out on Friday and struggled in losing the first set, 25-12. NSU came back to win the next two 25-20 and 25-23, before the Bears won the fourth set, 25-19. The Spartans then won their third straight five-set match in conference play with a 15-13 victory in the final set.

NSU improved to 5-3 in the MEAC and 9-14 overall, while Morgan State dropped to 4-4 and 9-12 overall. The victory had even more importance after Coppin State knocked off Hampton on Friday to also move to 4-4 and into a tie for fourth place with Morgan State.

Only the top 4 teams in the division advance to the conference tournament.

Senior Goda Jankauskaite had a big night for the Spartans, who did not have the edge in the statistical field over Morgan State. Jankauskaite had 22 kills and was one of just two NSU players in double figures along with senior Coralie Jarema, who had 10 on a .364 attack percentage.

Morgan State, meanwhile, hit .314 as a team compared to just .157 for NSU. Samantha Prescott had 18 kills, with Zuri Smith adding 10.

Sophomore Janay Frazier had nine kills in the match and three early in the fifth set to help NSU take an early lead. The Spartans eventually made it 8-5 in that final set but had to call timeout after Morgan State tied it up. Norfolk State used their second timeout when the Bears went up by one, 12-11, but a block from Frazier and Jarema was followed by a service ace from freshman Alex Irizarry and one last kill by Jarema for the match win.

Of course, the Spartans did not start off as well, digging themselves into an early 12-3 hole in the first set. The Bears stretched it to 21-9 before winning by 13.

NSU did not fold, even after falling behind 4-0 and then a little later 9-5 in the second set. Several kills from the Spartans during a 6-1 run got things going, and after Morgan State made it 19-16, NSU reeled off six straight points for a 22-19 lead. The Bears called timeout, but NSU won the last three points of the set to tie things up.

The Spartans faced a 6-4 deficit in the third set, but two kills from sophomore Jessica Johnson and three blocks by Jarema put them up by three. Morgan State tied it up a little later, but a service ace from freshman Tori Tulensru finished a 4-1 run and again put the Spartans back up by three, 17-14. The teams then went point-for-point for most of the rest of the set before sophomore Angie Darcus finished it with a kill of her own.

A 9-2 run for the Bears gave them a six-point lead in the fourth, and the Spartans got no closer than four points the rest of that fourth stanza to set up the final heroics in the fifth.

Johnson had nine kills for NSU, while Jarema totaled five blocks. The Bears had a 49-36 edge in digs.

NSU will take on Coppin State on Sunday at 3 p.m. at CSU's Physical Education Complex.