NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State volleyball team makes an out-of-area trip one last time for the regular season when the Spartans travel to Baltimore to face Coppin State and Morgan State this weekend.
 
Norfolk State plays at Coppin State on Friday at 6 p.m. at CSU's Physical Education Complex, following by a match at Morgan State on Sunday at 3 p.m. at MSU's Hill Field House.
 
The matches will mark the last NSU will play outside the area. Following this weekend, the Spartans host Howard and Maryland Eastern Shore and wrap up the regular season at Hampton.
 
NSU is attempting to break a 10-match losing streak that has dropped its record to 3-18 overall and 0-7 in MEAC play. Morgan State and Coppin State each need wins this weekend – they also play Hampton – to keep pace with fourth-place Delaware State and the coveted last berth in the MEAC tournament.
 
NSU is coming off a pair of losses last weekend at home, 3-0 to Hampton and then 3-1 to Delaware State. It marked the second time the Spartans played DSU this year. All five of NSU's remaining matches are completions of the home-and-home MEAC schedule.
 
Conference Standings
DSU (3-4) currently has the edge for that fourth spot. Morgan State (2-4) and Coppin State (2-5) are fifth and sixth in the standings, respectively. CSU got a big boost last weekend when it topped Morgan State by a 3-1 score. MSU, meanwhile, defeated DSU two weeks ago to keep things muddied.
 
Maryland Eastern Shore (7-0), Howard (6-1) and Hampton (4-3) lead the top of the standings.
 
Bethune-Cookman (5-0), Florida A&M (4-1), North Carolina A&T (3-2) and North Carolina Central (3-3) are close to locking up the top four spots in the Southern Division.
 
MEAC Rankings
NSU now sits fifth in the league in service aces per set at 1.34. The Spartans have maintained their standings lately in most other categories, sitting seventh in opponent hitting percentage (.210), eighth in assists (9.19), kills (9.81), blocks (1.45) and digs (11.99), and ninth in hitting percentage (.105).
 
Senior Melvina Brown is now fourth in digs (3.70) and seventh in service aces (0.35), while freshman Clara Kick ranks 10^th in blocks (0.77).
 
On the national level, Brown is No. 123 in aces, while NSU ranks slightly better at 118^th as a team in service aces per set.
 
Opponent Scouting
Morgan State's Cristen Coryatt leads the league in kills per set at 3.82, with Keana Browne (2.59) and Natashia Barker (2.29) also providing offense. Roi Wallace ranks third in the league in assists as well (9.40). On defense, it's also Coryatt (2.51 digs), Browne (0.60 blocks) and Barker (2.55 digs), with Jasmin Hubbard leading all players with 3.56 digs.
 
For Coppin State, Asia Stennis is the only player averaged more than two kills per set at 2.49. Bailee Jackson (1.63) and Marlena Guice (1.60) are other offensive options for the Eagles, who average a little less than nine kills per set. Jackson (2.75 digs) and Stennis (2.23) also rank second and third, respectively, on the team behind Glorines Rosado (3.91 digs).
 
Series History
Morgan State has won five in a row over the Spartans, increasing its all-time series record to 21-6. The Bears won the first meeting this year by a 3-2 score on Oct. 1 at NSU's Gill Gym. The Spartans rallied to win sets 3 and 4 before falling in the last set.
 
Coppin State, meanwhile, has won two in a row and seven of the past eight matches against Norfolk State. The Eagles now have a four-match edge over Norfolk State all-time, 16-12. CSU won a 3-1 margin in the first meeting this year, NSU's MEAC opener on Sept. 29. The Spartans won the first set before the Eagles stormed back to win the next three.
 
Up Next
The Spartans will host Howard on Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. at Gill Gymnasium, their only match of the weekend.