Box Score NORFOLK, Va. – After two heated rivals split the first two sets, Hampton pulled away in the final two to defeat the Norfolk State volleyball team, 3-1, on Friday night at Joseph Echols Hall.

The first Battle of the Bay this year was a dead heat early on, as NSU won the first set, 25-23, before Hampton came back to win the second, 25-22. The Pirates then pulled away in the last two sets, 25-15, 25-14.

Hampton's Vendula Strakova carried the Pirate offense with 27 kills on a .297 attack percentage. Norfolk State was led by the duo of sophomore Jessica Johnson and senior Goda Jankauskaite. Johnson added 18 kills on a .300 attack percentage, and Jankausakaite added 12 kills.

The Spartans had a pair of runs in the first two sets, including one at the start of the match that allowed them to jump on Hampton, 9-2. Strakova got the Pirates back to within three, 15-12, and added another kill later to force an NSU timeout with the Spartans up by just two.

Several kills from Johnson, who had seven in the first set along with Jankauskaite, made it 24-20. After Hampton won the next three points Jankauskaite's kill gave NSU an early lead in the match.

NSU (4-11, 0-1 MEAC) had to call timeout down 11-7 in the second set, and then a little later the Spartans went on a 12-4 run to erase a five-point deficit and go up 21-18. Two kills from Johnson ended that run, but Strakova had four kills to rally Hampton to the second-set win.

Down 4-2 in the third, Hampton (7-7, 1-0) used a 6-0 run and then a 10-2 run to build a nine-point lead. The Spartans came out with plenty of energy in the fourth, winning the first five points of the set. But down 9-7, the Pirates went on an 11-1 run to essentially put the match out of reach for NSU.

Johnson added 13 digs, while sophomore Darcy Moore also had a double-double with 34 assists and 12 digs. Sophomore Janay Frazier chipped in with eight kills.

Strakova added 13 digs, four service aces and three blocks. Allysa Medina and Krista Kraskura added eight and seven kills, respectively.

Hampton had a 14-7 advantage in service aces and a 10-4 edge in blocks.

NSU will look to rebound Sunday against Coppin State at 3 p.m. at Echols Hall.