Photo Gallery

NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State volleyball team rallied from an early deficit to win the first set, but Maryland Eastern Shore overcame that initial hole to defeat the Spartans, 3-1, on Friday evening in a conference matchup in Gill Gymnasium.
 
The Spartans fell behind by as much as six in the first stanza, but behind a raucous crowd in a packed gym, they stormed back to come away with a 25-21 victory. MDES settled down after that, pulling ahead early in each of the next sets and winning all three by identical 25-18 scores.
 
MDES improved its overall record to 8-10 and its MEAC mark to 1-1. The Spartans fell to 2-12 overall, 1-2 in conference play.
 
Senior Jessica Johnson paced the way with 20 kills to lead all players. She also recorded the double-double with 12 digs, one of four players for the Spartans to have double-digit digs. NSU also finished the match with 51 kills compared to 48 for the Hawks. MDES, though, hit .204 and had 11 less errors than the Spartans, who hit .135.
 
NSU played its best late in the first set after MDES had built a 14-8 lead. A pair of 4-0 spurts keyed a longer run for the Spartans. They had three straight kills at one point that helped build what became a 21-19 advantage. Junior Clarke Tyler then had a kill and a block late to help seal the first-set win.
 
Tyler ended the match with 10 kills and five blocks.
 
NSU never really threatened after that. The Hawks led for nearly the rest of the way. The Spartans got to within one several times in the second set, the last at 11-10, before MDES pulled away. In the third, a kill by Johnson and several errors on MDES tied the score at 9-9, but again the Hawks began to surge ahead and take control.
 
They actually fell behind by a 5-4 margin in the fourth set, but a 13-3 run put the Hawks in complete control. Their lead stretched to as much as nine before the Spartans scored some late points for the final margin.
 
Freshman Jill Aquino also tallied a double-double with 41 assists and 18 digs for NSU. Junior Melvina Brown (13) and senior Sydney Dailey (12) reached double figures in digs. Dailey also chipped in with seven kills.
 
Senior Dominique Parker added 11 kills and three blocks as well.
 
MDES, though, held a 13-8 advantage in team blocks, thanks in large part to Mere Serea. She finished with the rare double-double of 11 kills and 10 blocks. Lucia Babic added 12 kills, and Koya Sowells had a team-high 15 digs, one of four players in double figures for the Hawks.
 
NSU faces Delaware State on Sunday at 3 p.m. at Gill Gymnasium. The match will be the program's annual Breast Cancer Awareness Day.