This WeekendNORFOLK, Va. – After spending more than the first half of the regular season on the road, the Norfolk State volleyball team will finally play its first home match of the year on Friday. The Spartans will take on Howard at 7 p.m. in Gill Gymnasium during Norfolk State University's homecoming week.
The contest is set to be played in Gills because of homecoming activities taking place in NSU's regular home for volleyball, Joseph Echols Hall.
Both
live stats and a
live video feed will be available for the match against the Bison. The live stats are free, while the live video feed carries a cost of $5.
The Spartans also play at Delaware State on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Live stats will be available for that match.
NSU enters Friday's contest with a 0-15 overall record and a 0-3 MEAC mark. Howard stands at an even .500 overall at 9-9, including 2-1 in conference play.
Keeping an Eye OutJunior
Darcy Moore needs just 19 more assists to move past Nicole Kessner for the NSU career record. Kessner tallied 2,424 assists during her four-year career with the Spartans that ended in 2012. Moore currently has 2,406 assists in her three-year career.
Finally at HomeThe Spartans played their first 15 matches of the year on the road, what is believed to be the longest such streak to open a season in NSU's volleyball history. The program only hosts six home matches during the entire 2014 season, tied for the fewest in one year since the 1997 campaign, when NSU also had just six home contests on the docket.
NSU plays five of its last six matches of the year at home.
MEAC StandingsHampton has taken the early lead in the Northern Division standings at 4-0 this year. Morgan State (3-1) and Howard (2-1) rank second and third, respectively, while Coppin State owns fourth place so far this year at 2-2. UMES owns fifth place at 1-2, while Delaware State and NSU are tied for sixth at 0-3.
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Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman have surged ahead of the rest of the pack in the Southern Division at 4-0 each.
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MEAC RankingsMoore and
Jessica Johnson are the only two Spartan players ranked in the top 10 in the MEAC. Moore sits fifth in assists at 8.98 per set and ninth in service aces at 0.29. Johnson owns fifth place in kills at 3.29 and seventh in points at 3.48.
As a team, NSU stands fifth in kills (11.48) and assists (10.85), sixth in service aces (1.27), eighth in hitting percentage (.122), 11
th in opponent hitting percentage (.255) and 12
th in blocks (1.09) and digs (11.88).
Series HistoryThe Bison lead the all-time series with NSU, 12-5. The teams have split the series 3-3 after NSU moved to the Northern Division in 2011. Howard won both matches last year by scores of 3-1 and 3-2, the latter on NSU's Senior Day that also took place in Gill Gymnasium.
About NSUThe Spartans have been led this year by junior
Jessica Johnson, who has taken over the No. 1 hitter role and averages 3.29 kills per set. Freshman
Hope Forsythe had been playing well, tallying 2.51 kills per set this year, but has been out the last several matches due to injury. Junior
Janay Frazier (2.00 kills) returned to the lineup and hit well against Coppin State, while sophomore
Dominique Parker (1.71 kills) had her best match yet at NSU with 13 kills last week at Morgan State.
Also making an impact at times this year have been freshman
Clarke Tyler (1.67 kills per set), junior
Angie Darcus (1.19 kills) and sophomore
Tori Tulensru (1.15 kills). Junior
Darcy Moore directs the offense with 8.98 assists to go along with a team-best 0.29 service aces.
On the defensive side of things, Moore (2.33 digs per set) and seniors
Noelle Eagles (2.94 digs) and
Adriana Ramos (2.09 digs) have provided stability in the backcourt, while senior
Kylee Thiim tallies a team-leading 0.60 blocks per set. Parker (0.49 blocks) and Forsythe (0.46) have also chipped in throughout the year.
Scouting HowardThe Bison, selected to finish second in the MEAC Northern Division, are currently in the exact position they were expected to be with sweeps of UMES and Delaware State and a 3-1 loss to conference-leading Hampton. Howard picked up non-conference wins this year over such programs as George Mason, La Salle, William & Mary, Tulane and Florida Atlantic.
Freshman Khaila Donaldson leads the way for the Bison with 3.48 kills and 0.32 service aces per set. Katherine Broussard and Assata Conway also chip in with 2.41 and 2.34 kills, respectively. Setter Stephanie Shultis, a preseason all-MEAC pick along with Broussard and Conway, averages 9.48 assists. Conway (MEAC-leading 1.25 blocks) and the duo of Allyson Lods (3.28 digs) and Broussard (3.15 digs) pace the Bison on defense.
Up NextSo much for not having to travel. NSU will be back on the road again, first on Sunday at Delaware State and then on Oct. 17 at UMES.
