NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State volleyball team will play its first conference road match this Sunday when the Spartans take on Howard at 3 p.m. at Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C.
 
NSU's first match in two weeks will find the Spartans aiming for their first MEAC win of the year, while the Bison will look to staying within a game of first place in the North. Howard carries a 6-13 overall record into the weekend with a 3-1 MEAC mark, while NSU stands 1-14 overall and 0-2 in the league. The Bison also host Hampton on Friday night before taking on the Spartans on Sunday.
 
The Spartans have not played in two weeks after last Friday's match at UMES was postponed due to weather concerns. It was set to be NSU's only match between its contest against Morgan State on Sept. 27 and Sunday's matinee at Howard, a two-week span. Instead, the regular season will extend a little longer in November for the Spartans, who will play the make-up game at UMES on Nov. 13.
 
MEAC Update
Weather forced several cancellations last weekend in the MEAC, with only two matches getting played. Morgan State topped Howard, while the Bison also turned around and defeated Coppin State to throw a wrench into the standings. MSU now owns a 3-0 record and is the early front-runner for first place. Howard (3-1) and Coppin State (2-1) sit right behind the Bears, with UMES at 1-1 and in fourth place.
 
Bethune-Cookman leads the South at 3-0, while North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central and Florida A&M each carry a 2-1 record into the weekend.
 
MEAC Rankings
Senior setter Darcy Moore ranks sixth in the MEAC in assists now at 7.91 per set. Three other Spartans also find themselves in the conference stats, including senior Angie Darcus in points (10^th, 3.25) and kills (10^th, 2.86). Juniors Dominique Parker and Alex Irizarry also rank in their respective categories, with Parker in ninth in service aces per set (0.31) and Irizarry contributing 3.14 digs to sit in 10^th place in the league.
 
NSU's highest-ranked team category continues to be service aces, as the Spartans have posted 1.23 per set for fifth in the conference. NSU also sits sixth in digs (13.63), eighth in kills (10.19) and assists (9.63), ninth in hitting percentage (.112) and opponent hitting percentage (.238), and 12^th in blocks (1.10).
 
NSU All-Time Rankings
Already the all-time leader in assists, Moore needs just 101 more to reach the 3,000 plateau. She also currently ranks eighth in career digs (691), 10^th in matches played (95) and sets played (351), and 15^th in service aces (80).
 
Darcus stands 11^th in matches played (86) and 15^th in kills (419) and assists (177). The only other current active player is Irizarry, who sits one spot ahead of Darcus in career assists at 14^th (196).
 
Long Stretch
The current two-week gap in between matches is the longest for NSU since going 16 days between contests in mid-September in 2005.
 
Series History
Howard owns a 14-5 edge in the all-time series with NSU. The Bison have won four in a row over the previous two seasons and are 5-3 against the Spartans since Norfolk State moved to the Northern Division in 2011.
 
Scouting the Bison
Howard already topped UMES to start MEAC play as well as Delaware State and Coppin State to plant a flag for second place in the Northern Division, at least for the moment. Khaila Donaldson has led the way with 3.28 kills per set, with Katherine Broussard (2.20) and Jasmine Sasser (1.92) also chipping in despite missing several matches this season. Briana Jackson has compiled a team-best 27 service aces on the year while splitting time at setter with Tamia Dockery (3.99 assists compared to 5.35 for Jackson).
 
On defense, Morgan Marlbrough has tallied 4.18 digs, with Donaldson (2.70 digs) and Broussard (2.56) pulling double duty on both offense and defense. Dominique Cleggett tops all Bison players with 0.77 blocks. Howard owns its biggest advantage in service aces, as they have allowed just 1.00 service aces per set while tallying 1.41 themselves.
 
Up Next
The Spartans will return home to face Hampton and Delaware State next weekend. The Battle of the Bay against the Pirates will begin at 6 p.m. next Friday at Joseph Echols Hall.