Box Score DOVER, Del. – Norfolk State had to sweat it out on Sunday afternoon, but the Spartan volleyball team ultimately came away with a 3-1 win over Delaware State to lock up a berth in the MEAC tournament next weekend.

NSU dropped the first set to Delaware State, 25-23, at Memorial Hall before rebounding to win the next three, including the last two in extra points. The Spartans rallied by winning those last three sets, 25-20, 26-24 and 26-24.

The victory moved NSU to 11-17 overall and 7-5 in the Northern Division. Norfolk State finished in a tie for fourth place with Morgan State, but the Spartans won the tiebreaker after winning both matches this year against the Bears.

NSU will play next Friday in the quarterfinal round of the MEAC tournament at Coppin State's Physical Education Complex against Florida A&M at 4 p.m.

Norfolk State got a handful of strong showings on Sunday, with four players reaching double figures in kills and two coming away with double-double performances. For the seventh match in a row, senior Goda Jankauskaite led NSU in kills, this time posting 15 on a .323 attack percentage.

Sophomores Janay Frazier and Angie Darcus each had 12 kills as well, with Frazier hitting .364 on the day. Sophomore Jessica Johnson also reached double figures with 10 kills to go with a match-high 16 digs.

NSU found itself down by one early in the second set, but after facing a 10-8 deficit, the Spartans responded in a big way. The Spartans won seven in a row and 10 of 11 for an 18-11 lead. Down 23-15, Delaware State made it interesting by getting to within four, 23-19, before Jarema and Johnson put down kills to end the set.

A pair of 6-0 and 5-0 runs early in the third set had NSU up by a 13-7 score. As was the case throughout the match, the teams continued to trade runs, as this time Delaware State went on a 13-3 spurt for a 20-16 lead. Sparked by four kills from Jankauskaite, Norfolk State returned the favor by winning eight of the next 10.

Delaware State held off set serve twice, but a kill from Darcus and an attack error on DSU gave NSU a 2-1 lead.

Thanks to two service aces from freshman Alex Irizarry, who had six for the match, the Spartans held a 6-1 lead in the fourth set. NSU benefitted from Delaware State having two points taken away by being out of service rotation, as the Spartans held a slim 12-11 lead halfway through the set.

Norfolk State went up by three before Delaware State grabbed the lead back, 20-19. The Hornets won three in a row for a 24-22 lead, but this time the Spartans held off set serve, winning four straight, the last two on kills from Frazier, for the match victory.

Senior Coralie Jarema had nine kills to go with four blocks for the Spartans. Sophomore Darcy Moore added 45 assists, 10 digs and six kills, directing an offense that hit .238.

In the first set, NSU jumped out to a 5-1 lead, but a back-and-forth battle ensued. The Hornets won seven of the next nine points for a one-point lead, and a little later they won six in a row for a 15-10 advantage. Errors on DSU and a couple of kills from Darcus allowed NSU to go on an 8-2 run for a one-point lead. After Delaware State called timeout down 21-19, the Hornets won six of the final eight points of the opening stanza.

Edarkis Branch led DSU with 15 kills, while Jasmine Jackson and Jessica Russell-Croucher had 14 and 13, respectively.

NSU had a 56-35 edge in digs and a 12-6 advantage in service aces. Delaware State hit .186.