Box Score NORFOLK, Va. – After falling into an early 1-0 deficit, UMES came back to defeat the Norfolk State volleyball team 3-1 on Friday night in a conference matchup at Joseph Echols Hall.
The Hawks picked up their play in the second set after falling in the first, 25-21. UMES was also aided by a Spartan attack that began to shoot itself in the foot as the match wore on. The Hawks prevailed in the last three sets, 25-21, 25-21 and 25-17.
UMES (11-16 overall, 4-7 MEAC) had a 12-3 edge in blocks and hit .186 for the match. The Spartans connected at a .113 rate but committed 20 attack errors over the last two sets. Junior
Angie Darcus shined for NSU by tallying the program's first triple-double in four years with 26 assists, 10 kills and 10 digs.
It was a defensive battle as the match wore on, including several long rallies in the fourth set. The first set, though, belonged to NSU (1-22, 1-10 MEAC).
The Spartans built an early 7-4 lead and stretched it to 13-9 on a service ace by sophomore
Alex Irizarry. A kill from freshman
Clarke Tyler made it 15-10, and then senior
Adriana Ramos connected on a service ace for a 20-14 advantage. UMES got to within three to force an NSU timeout, but a pair of errors on the Hawks and a kill by Darcus gave the Spartans the edge early in the match.
A 3-1 lead in the second set for NSU evaporated thanks to four straight UMES points. The Spartans tied it up but then fell behind by three. Errors on the Hawks sparked an NSU 6-1 run, but UMES came back and used a 10-3 run for a 22-17 edge.
Two more errors on UMES made it interesting at 23-21, but a kill and service ace by the Hawks ended the set and tied the match at 1-1.
The third set followed the same script, as a kill from Ramos put the Spartans up early, 5-2. UMES won seven of the next eight points to force an NSU timeout, but a short time later a kill by Clarke cut the deficit to one, 12-11.
The Hawks began to score two or three points for every one point by the Spartans, opening up a 21-15 lead. Sophomore
Tori Tulensru had three kills during a 5-1 run for NSU, but again 23-21 was as close as the Spartans could get.
The wheels began to fall off for NSU midway through the fourth set after a kill by Darcus made it 7-6 in favor of the Hawks. UMES outscored the Spartans 13-3 after that point to open an 11-point lead. A service ace by senior
Kylee Thiim capped a 4-0 run for NSU, but the two squads traded serves the rest of the way.
Tulensru led all players with 13 kills, while Darcus was the only other Spartan in double figures with 10. Her triple-double was the first by a Spartan player since Nicole Kessner had 26 assists, 13 kills and 10 digs on Oct. 27, 2010 at South Carolina State.
Senior
Noelle Eagles added 20 digs, while Ramos posted 17 to help NSU finish with a 78-63 edge in digs over UMES for the night.
Ashley Smith and Kirstin Fink each had 10 kills for UMES, while Alana Polk added seven kills and nine blocks.
In addition to 33 attack errors, the Spartans also committed 15 service errors against the Hawks.
NSU closes out its season on Sunday at 3 p.m. against Delaware State at Echols Hall. The contest will also be Senior Day, as NSU will honor its four departing players prior to the start of the match.
