This Weekend
Friday: at West Virginia, Noon; vs. Navy, 4 p.m.
Saturday: vs. Canisius, 10 a.m.; vs. Fordham, 4 p.m.
Live Video: West Virginia match only
Live Stats: West Virginia | Navy | Canisius | Fordham

NORFOLK, Va. – After coming up with a big win and nearly securing a second last weekend, the Norfolk State volleyball team will head up to West Virginia to play four matches in two days beginning on Friday in the Mountaineer Invitational.

The Spartans will open up with host West Virginia on Friday at noon, followed by a match against Navy at 4 p.m. Then on Saturday, NSU plays Canisius at 10 a.m. and Fordham at 4 p.m. at the WVU Coliseum.

West Virginia athletics will provide live stats for every match. Fans can also follow the action (for the West Virginia match only) with WVU's live video stream.

NSU, which went 1-2 last weekend at the Appalachian State Invitational, has never faced Fordham or West Virginia. The Spartans played Canisius once, a 3-1 loss back in 2010. NSU also owns a 2-2 record against Navy, including wins in the last two meetings in 2010 and '12.

West Virginia opened the season 3-0 at the Blue/Gold Invitational at Toledo. Fordham went 1-2 at the Winthrop Classic, with its lone victory against MEAC opponent Savannah State. Navy also went 1-2 at its home tournament, while Canisius dropped all four of its matches at home to start the season in the Golden Griffin Invitational.

Last Weekend
NSU opened the year at the Appalachian Invitational last weekend with a 3-1 win over Sam Houston State, a team that finished 21-11 last year with an RPI of 102. Down 0-2 against Loyola (Md.) in the next match, NSU forced the match to five sets before Loyola pulled away in the fifth. The Spartans then ended the tournament with a 3-0 loss to Appalachian State.

Senior Goda Jankauskaite led the Spartan offense with 2.83 kills per set on a .338 attack percentage. Both sophomore Jessica Johnson and freshman Tori Tulensru each had 2.42 kills per set over the weekend. The trio combined for 92 of NSU's 117 kills last week.

NSU was also strong on the serve, racking up 2.08 service aces per set after finishing with 1.60 last season. The Spartans also improved their blocking, averaging 1.83 blocks per set to start the 2013 campaign.

Topping 1,000
Redshirt junior libero Noelle Eagles finished with 22 digs against Sam Houston State, and in the process became the first NSU player ever to top 1,000 career digs. Eagles, who surpassed the NSU career record last year, came into the season needing just nine digs to reach the 1,000 plateau. She now has 1,034 for her career.

About West Virginia
Jordan Anderson led the Mountaineers last weekend, averaging 4.30 kills per set. Caleah Wells posted 2.60 kills with a team-leading 1.60 blocks, as West Virginia finished with 3.25 blocks per set as a team. Anna Panagiotakopoulos averaged 5.40 digs per set, with WVU totaling a whopping 15.70 as a team.

About Canisius
Emily Elek and Rachel Kline led the Golden Griffins with 26 and 25 kills, respectively, while Katlyn Tyler had 3.00 kills per set despite playing in just two of the four matches. Roxanne Hernandez averaged 0.79 blocks, and Emily Litwin paced the way with 4.86 digs. Grace Streicher and Sydney Palka split duties at the setter position.

About Fordham
Lisa Hipp and Brennan Delsing carried the Fordham offense, with Hipp averaging 4.40 kills per set and Delsing at 3.20. Sara Konkel posted 10.30 assists, and Maria Rodenberg tallied a team-leading 3.70 digs. The Rams had just 1.00 blocks per set as a team but did pile up 2.40 service aces per set.

About Navy
Erin Fortner averaged 3.18 kills for the Navy offense to start the season, with Olivia Yeager posting 23 total digs to rank second so far on the team. Alli Graf (3.45 digs), Fortner (3.00 digs) and Alex Cassel (0.73 blocks) led the way on the defensive side. Alex Karika served as the team's primary setter, posting 9.30 assists.

Up Next
NSU will play at home for the first time beginning next Thursday as part of the Spartan Classic at Joseph Echols Hall. The Spartans face Charlotte at 7 p.m. on Thursday, followed by Bethune-Cookman on Friday at 7 p.m. and UMES on Saturday at 6. There will also be contests at 4 p.m. on Friday, and 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday involving the other three schools.