Friday
NSU vs. Florida A&M, 4 p.m., MEAC Quarterfinals
Physical Education Complex (Coppin State)
Tournament Bracket

NORFOLK, Va. – The Spartans will have a big challenge awaiting them in the opening round of the MEAC tournament, as the Norfolk State volleyball team will face Florida A&M on Friday at 4 p.m. in the quarterfinals at Coppin State's Physical Education Complex.

NSU finished as the No. 4 seed in the Northern Division, and thus drew the top squad in the South, an undefeated Florida A&M team. The Rattlers finished 10-0 in the MEAC, four games ahead of second-place North Carolina A&T.

The Spartans went 7-5 in conference play and in a tie with Morgan State for the last tournament spot. Because of its season sweep of the Bears, NSU earned the tiebreaker for the No. 4 seed. The Spartans stand 11-17 overall, while Florida A&M owns a 14-6 record this year.

Hampton (10-2), Coppin State (8-4) and Howard (8-4) finished as the top 3 seeds in the North. Following A&T, Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State ended the year third and fourth in the South.

The semifinals are set for Saturday, while the championship match will take place on Sunday.

Spartan Update
Senior Goda Jankauskaite continues to carry the NSU offense, averaging 3.08 kills per set, while senior Coralie Jarema and sophomore Angie Darcus both played well last weekend. Darcus had 27 kills in two matches, while Jarema added 18. Jarema ranks third on the team with 1.91 kills per set, with Darcus fifth at 1.76.

Sophomores Jessica Johnson (2.10) and Janay Frazier (1.82) also chip in, with sophomore Darcy Moore handing out 9.35 assists per set.

Moore is also second on the team with 2.18 digs, with redshirt junior Noelle Eagles tops among all players with 3.66. Jarema (0.54) and Jankauskaite (0.47) continue to anchor the defense at the net.

Jankauskaite, meanwhile, has also led NSU in kills in nine of the last 10 matches.

MEAC Rankings
Moore stands fourth in the MEAC in assists, while Eagles ranks fifth in digs. Jankauskaite has moved up to sixth in kills as well as seventh in points (3.38).

NSU's highest team ranking is currently fourth, in kills (11.46), assists (10.85) and service aces (1.54). The Spartans also sit fifth in opponent hitting percentage (.220), sixth in hitting percentage (.140), seventh in digs (12.35) and 11th in blocks (1.24).

Topping Her Own Standard
Moore topped her previous school record for assists in a season last weekend, and the sophomore needs just nine more to become the first NSU player to reach 1,000 in a season. She currently ranks third all-time at NSU in assists.

More Chart Toppers
Jankauskaite needs eight more kills to tie Charlotte Armstead for the second-most kills in a season. Jankauskaite currently has 320 on the season. Should she get to second, Jankauskaite would still be a long way from reaching the No. 1 mark, also held by Armstead, of 398 set last year. Jankauskaite ranks eighth all-time at NSU in kills with 513.

With 381 digs this year, Eagles now has three of the top four all-time season performances.

About Florida A&M
The Rattlers have won 12 matches in a row, including all 10 MEAC contests and a pair of wins over North Florida and Texas Southern. Katherine Huanec and Ginna Lopez-Chavez have helped carry the offensive load with 3.37 and 2.96 kills per set, respectively. Yeisha Arcia has chipped in with 2.56 kills, while Diana Gonzales has handed out 9.65 assists.

Joanie Del Castillo leads all MEAC players with 5.00 digs per set, while Lopez-Chavez ranks second in blocks with 0.96. The Rattlers hit .245 as a team.