NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State volleyball team rallied to stay alive in the third set, but Delaware State was too much in the latter stages of the match in a 3-0 win over the Spartans on Sunday afternoon at Gill Gymnasium.
 
The Hornets pulled ahead midway through the first set, winning 25-22 before dominating in a 25-15 second-set win. The Spartans went on a late run to take the third set, 25-20, but their rally late in the fourth was too little too late as DSU finished it off with a 25-22 victory.
 
The Spartans dropped their 10^th in a row despite solid matches from several key players. Freshman Taylor Eichelberger led all players with 15 kills, and senior Hope Forsythe added 14 kills, 11 digs and three blocks.
 
In addition, senior Clarke Tyler totaled 10 kills, helping the Spartans finish with two more than the Hornets for the afternoon. But DSU hit .192, better than NSU's .142 tally, to drop NSU to 3-18 overall and 0-7 in the MEAC.
 
DSU (3-20, 3-4 MEAC) got 14 kills and 14 digs from Sabina Szmajduch and 12 kills off the hands of Mayah Ngundam.
 
The Hornets fell behind by three in the second set after a 6-1 run by the Spartans. DSU, however, won 10 points in a row and 14 of 16 to put the set out of reach despite totaling just eight kills with five errors. The Spartans overcame a negative hitting percentage in the second set to bounce back and win the next.
 
NSU led 9-5 at the start of the third set only to watch the Hornets rally back to tie it at 11-11. DSU later went ahead by one, 17-16, but it committed five errors in a row as NSU won six straight overall for a 22-17 edge. Eichelberger added another kill, and one more DSU error gave Norfolk State hope, even if it was short lived.
 
But the Spartans fell behind early in the fourth, and the DSU lead stretched to six at 18-12. The Hornets led 23-17 before the Spartans won four straight, capped by a block from Tyler and senior Melvina Brown, to get to within two. DSU, though, got a pair of kills over the last three serves to finish off the win.
 
Both teams hit their best in the fourth set, .355 for the Hornets compared to .282 for Norfolk State.
 
The Hornets grabbed momentum at the beginning of the match as well. They led 6-1 and later 12-7 to start things off. Behind the serving of sophomore Jill Aquino, NSU won six straight for a 13-12 lead. But a 5-1 DSU run ended that Spartan advantage, and Delaware State held on for the early lead in the match.
 
Aquino finished with 39 assists and nine digs.
 
Delaware State held a 10-3 advantage in service aces, with Alliyah McBean tallying five aces and eight digs. NaKia Jones totaled nine kills and four blocks, and both Gabriella Enriquez and Taula Leimaluhia each added 15 digs.
 
Brown led the Spartans with 13 digs.
 
Norfolk State takes to the road next weekend to play at Coppin State on Friday and at Morgan State next Sunday.