This WeekendNORFOLK, Va. – The Battle of the Bay comes to Joseph Echols Hall on Friday as the Norfolk State volleyball team plays host to a pair of MEAC foes this weekend. The Spartans will host rival Hampton at 6 p.m. on Friday, followed by a Sunday matchup against Delaware State at 3 p.m.
Friday's contest will also serve as the program's Breast Cancer Awareness Night.
Live stats and a
live video feed will be available for both matches.
This weekend's slate will feature three teams looking for their first MEAC victory of the season. Both DSU and NSU own 0-3 records in the Northern Division, while Hampton stands 0-4. The Pirates are also searching for their first overall win of the year (0-17), while Delaware State (2-15) and Norfolk State (1-15) have combined for three victories this season.
DSU will play at UMES on Friday before Sunday's matchup with the Spartans.
Scouting NSUThe Spartans own the slight edge over opponents in digs (13.47-13.28), thanks in part to junior
Alex Irizarry. She leads all players with 3.17 per set, followed by senior
Darcy Moore (2.42), sophomore
Hope Forsythe (2.11) and senior
Angie Darcus (2.07).
Darcus also leads NSU with 2.85 kills per set, followed by Forsythe (2.07) and the tandem of sophomore
Clarke Tyler (1.73) and junior
Dominique Parker (1.63). Moore also hands out 7.92 assists per set, and Darcus is tops on the team with 15 service aces.
Opponents have a big edge in service aces (2.13-1.20) and blocks (2.32-1.11) per set. Tyler and Parker have combined for 55 blocks, nearly half of the team's total on the year.
The Spartans will look to break an eight-match losing streak.
MEAC Round-UpA topsy-turvy year in the North currently has Howard in the early lead with a 5-1 record. Morgan State (4-1) and UMES (3-1) are right on the Bison's tail, with Coppin State (3-2) currently in fourth place in the standings and several games ahead of the last three teams in the division.
Howard's only loss came on the road against Morgan State, whose only loss came at home versus UMES. The Hawks, meanwhile, suffered their only loss at home against Howard to open conference play in late September.
Bethune-Cookman (5-0) has taken the lead in the South after its win over Florida A&M (4-1) earlier this month. Three other teams all stand 2-3 in the dogfight for the last two spots in the conference tournament.
Conference RankingsDarcus continues to rank 10
th in the MEAC in both kills (2.85) and points (3.23) per set. Moore stands sixth in assists (7.92), while Irizarry finds herself ninth in digs (3.17).
NSU's best team category is digs, where the Spartans rank fourth in the league with 13.47 per set. Their next best stat is service aces, as NSU stands sixth with 1.20 per set. The Spartans also rank eighth in assists (9.60) and opponent hitting percentage (.238), ninth in kills (10.17), 10
th in hitting percentage (.108) and 12
th in blocks (1.11).
Home Sweet HomeThanks to the postponement of its contest at UMES two weekends ago, NSU will play four of its first five conference matches for this season at home. The Spartans hosted Coppin State and Morgan State during the opening weekend, followed by last Sunday's match at Howard. On the reverse side, NSU closes the regular season with three matches in six days, all on the road.
Series HistoryHampton owns a 47-12 edge in the all-time series with NSU, having won four in a row over the Spartans during the last two years. Delaware State, meanwhile, leads the series 20-11 over the Spartans. The two teams split last year's two-game series, although NSU won the previous four meetings before that.
About the OppositionThe Pirates have fallen in all 17 matches this year but came closest to a win against Coppin State on Sept. 27. Hampton rallied to win the third and fourth sets before CSU took the fifth. Reeana Richardson tallied 28 kills in the match for HU and leads the team with 3.05 kills per set. Offense also comes off the hands of Allysa Medina (2.02 kills) and Lena Washington (1.81).
Hampton is most successful in its blocking, averaging more than opponents and nearly two blocks per set. Kyndall Nicholas leads all players with 0.91 blocks, with Washington (0.79) and Tatyana Thomas (0.72) right behind her. Medina is the team's leader in digs (2.52), while Alexandra Erhart (4.55 assists) and Brianna Lilly (5.02) have split time at setter.
DSU has lost 10 in a row since earning wins over North Carolina A&T and Quinnipiac in early September. The Hornets have had trouble generating offense, with just Jasmine Jackson the only player to average at least two kills per set (3.22). Nevershi Ellis (1.82) also adds some offense to go along with a team-leading nine service aces. As a team, DSU averages slightly more than nine kills per set on a .075 attack percentage with only 0.69 service aces.
The Hornets fare better on defense, led by Jenessa Helu (0.84 blocks) and Jae Jackson (0.75) at the net. Alliyah McBean (3.80 digs) is tops in backcourt defense, with Jasmine Jackson (3.00) and Ellis (2.18) also chipping in.
Up NextThe Spartans will travel to Coppin State and Morgan State, in that order, next weekend.
