Panther ClassicNORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State volleyball team will have its hands full this weekend when the Spartans compete in the Panther Classic at the University of Pittsburgh on Friday and Saturday.
NSU will play Niagara at 4:30 p.m. on Friday at Pittsburgh's Fitzgerald Field House. Then on Saturday, the Spartans will compete in back-to-back matches, starting with host Pittsburgh at 12:30 p.m. and following that up with Duquesne at 4:30 p.m.
Live stats will be available for the entire tournament. Check above for the separate links to each of the three matches NSU will compete in this weekend. There will also be a live video feed for the match against Pittsburgh.
Click here to go to the Pittsburgh video channel. Subscribers must create a username and password before purchasing a pass to watch the match.
NSU (0-6) will be searching for its first win of the year after dropping all three matches at both the JMU Classic two weeks ago and the East Carolina Invitational last weekend. The host Panthers come into the weekend riding the most momentum thanks to a 5-1 overall record. Duquesne (3-3) and Niagara (3-4) have found mixed success so far this year.
Tyler Named to All-Tournament TeamA week after fellow freshman
Hope Forsythe was named to the all-tournament team at James Madison, rookie
Clarke Tyler was tabbed to the all-tournament team last weekend at the East Carolina Invitational. She averaged 2.09 kills per set and hit .354 in three matches at ECU.
Eagles in the Top 20Noelle Eagles currently ranks 19
th in NCAA Division I in career digs. The school record holder currently has 1,427 digs in her NSU career.
Darcy Moore, meanwhile, is the only Spartan nationally ranked this year, as she sits 135
th in the nation with 9.29 assists per set.
Let's Look AheadDarcy Moore is now less than 300 assists away from surpassing Nicole Kessner's career record.
Jessica Johnson, meanwhile, moved into the top 10 at NSU this year in career kills, with her total now at 507.
Noelle Eagles has played in 377 career sets, putting her less than 70 away from surpassing the school record of 445.
Series HistoryNSU has never faced Pittsburgh or Niagara. The Spartans dropped their only meeting with Duquesne on Aug. 31, 2012, in the Robert Morris/Duquesne Invitational by a 3-0 score.
About the CompetitionPittsburgh has started off strong, losing only to Colorado in the first two weeks of the year while winning the other five matches by 3-0 scores. Jessica Wynn (3.79 kills per set), Mechael Guess (2.76) and Maria Genitsaridi (2.47) have provided the offense, while Jenna Potts (1.63 blocks) and Delaney Clesen (4.05 digs) have been steady on defense. As a team, Pitt averages nearly 15 kills per set while hitting .280. Opponents are averaging slightly less than 10 kills but have blocked the Panthers an average of 2.50 times per set.
Duquesne won all three matches last weekend at the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational after falling in three straight contests to open the season two weeks ago. Three different players average at least 2.00 kills per set, led by Arielle Love at 2.76. She also has a team-leading 1.28 blocks. The Dukes are hitting .239 as a team but are averaging nearly one less kill per set (11.60) than the opposition (12.44).
One of Niagara's three wins this year was a 3-2 triumph over MEAC foe Delaware State. Nicole Matheis (3.28 kills) and Amanda Sedore (2.79) pace the Purple Eagle offense. Alex Stone (1.03 blocks) and the duo of Rylee Hunt and Allison Reis (3.31 and 3.14 digs, respectively) anchor the defense. Niagara does own a fairly large advantage in total service aces (46-23), although the opposition has been successful against the Purple Eagles on defense (15.52 digs, 2.03 blocks per set).
Up NextThe Spartans will take part in the fourth of four regular season tournaments on the season when they head to the Carolina Classic next weekend at South Carolina.
