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Sydney Dailey
Megan Raymond

Women's Volleyball Mike Bello, Asst. SID

Spartans Host N.C. A&T for Mid-Week Non-Conference Matchup

NSU Volleyball at Home
NSU vs. North Carolina A&T Wed., Oct. 12, 6 p.m. Gill Gymnasium Live Stats Live Video

NORFOLK, Va. – After having its last match postponed due to flooding from Hurricane Matthew, the Norfolk State volleyball team will get back on the court for the first time in a week when the Spartans host North Carolina A&T on Wednesday night. Start time from NSU's Gill Gymnasium is set for 6 p.m.
 
The Aggies will attempt to complete the season sweep of the Spartans after defeating them by a 3-0 score last week in Greensboro, N.C., in the Spartans' last match played. NSU owns a 3-13 overall record on the year, while the Aggies enter the match at 6-10.
 
Despite both teams being members of the MEAC, the contest will not count towards either team's conference record because they compete in different divisions.
 
Norfolk State Athletics will host free live stats as well as a live video feed for Wednesday's match against A&T through the department's website. The live video feed carries a cost of $5 per match and is available for every home contest this year.
 
Samara Brown has led the way on offense for the Aggies, tallying 3.36 kills per set along with a team-high 19 service aces. Alyssa Pitt has also contributed on offense with 2.02 kills. A pair of players lead the way on defense, with Keniah Rivera (3.45 digs) and Jasmine Lindor (0.84 blocks) easily the team's leaders in those respective categories.
 
For NSU, senior Jessica Johnson has carried the offense with 3.67 kills per set, with senior Dominique Parker second on the team at 1.71 kills. Johnson has also taken more than a third of NSU's attacks on the year. Parker and Clarke Tyler each have a team-best 27 blocks, and Melvina Brown has posted 4.30 digs pet set to also anchor the defense.
 
More Honors
Johnson was named the MEAC Co-Player of the Week last week, while Jill Aquino earned MEAC Setter of the Week honors. Johnson had 38 kills in two four-set matches against Maryland Eastern Shore and Delaware State on Sept. 30 and Oct. 2, respectively. Aquino tallied 79 assists and 25 digs over the course of the two matches as well.
 
Those two honors came after the Spartan program had a pair of honorees the week before in Brown (Defensive Specialist of the Week) and Aquino (Rookie of the Week).
 
MEAC Leaders
Johnson currently sits second in the MEAC behind Donaldson with 3.67 kills per set. She is also currently third with 3.93 points per set, with Brown third in digs at 4.15. Aquino has moved up to fifth in assists per set at 6.98.
 
The Spartans continue to rank the highest in the league in service aces, currently fourth in the league with an average of 1.44 per set. NSU also finds itself fifth in digs (12.87), sixth in opponent hitting percentage (.228), seventh in kills (9.62) and assists (8.81), ninth in hitting percentage (.099) and 10th in blocks (1.29).
 
Weekend Schedule
Some separation could begin to show in the standings in a busy weekend for the MEAC Northern Division. NSU plays at Hampton on Friday and Delaware State on Sunday, while both of those two schools also play at Maryland Eastern Shore on the opposite days they play the Spartans.
 
In addition, Coppin State will play at Morgan State and then return home to face division-leading Howard. The Bison sit 5-0 so far this year, with MDES (4-1) and MSU (3-2) second and third, respectively. NSU (2-2), Hampton (2-3), CSU (1-4) and DSU (0-5) round out the standings.
 
Coming on Strong
After struggling in the early part of the year at the net, the Spartans have posted eight, eight and nine blocks each of the last three matches. Prior to that stretch, NSU's highest total in its first 13 contests of the year was six.
 
The Spartans also had a season-high 13 service aces against Delaware State on Oct. 2. It marked the most aces in a match for NSU since the program tallied 14 in a win over Sam Houston State on Aug. 30, 2013.
 
Johnson Now Third
Johnson passed Kami Jackson last weekend for third place all-time at NSU in kills. Johnson currently has 845, and the countdown is on as she needs 93 more to surpass Kim Mumford for second.
 
Series History
North Carolina A&T's win last week improved its all-time series lead over NSU to 21-7. The Aggies have won two in a row over the Spartans after Norfolk State had won the previous nine meetings. Two of those wins were later vacated due to NCAA sanctions.
 
Match Postponed
NSU was set to host Howard on Sunday before the storm and subsequent flooding forced a postponement. A make-up date has not been set yet.
 
Up Next
NSU will dive back into conference play with a match at Hampton on Friday and another road contest at Delaware State on Sunday.
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Players Mentioned

Jessica Johnson

#1 Jessica Johnson

OH
5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
Dominique Parker

#10 Dominique Parker

MB
6' 1"
Senior
Clarke Tyler

#2 Clarke Tyler

MB/OH
6' 0"
Junior
Melvina Brown

#12 Melvina Brown

L/OH
5' 6"
Junior
Jill Aquino

#11 Jill Aquino

S
5' 8"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Jessica Johnson

#1 Jessica Johnson

5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
OH
Dominique Parker

#10 Dominique Parker

6' 1"
Senior
MB
Clarke Tyler

#2 Clarke Tyler

6' 0"
Junior
MB/OH
Melvina Brown

#12 Melvina Brown

5' 6"
Junior
L/OH
Jill Aquino

#11 Jill Aquino

5' 8"
Freshman
S