NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State volleyball team will play its first home matches of the season this weekend during the MEAC North-South Challenge here in town.
 
Three teams from the league's Northern Division, including NSU, and three teams from the South will get together to each play three matches between Friday and Saturday. NSU will host Savannah State on Friday at 7 p.m. at Gill Gymnasium as part of the tournament.
 
Then on Saturday, action shifts to the Tidewater Volleyball Center in Virginia Beach, where all six teams will play two matches, one at 11 a.m. and another at 4 p.m. Those matches will be played on three courts simultaneously. The Spartans take on South Carolina State first followed by North Carolina A&T after the break.
 
Also on Friday, Hampton will host S.C. State at 7 p.m., and Maryland Eastern Shore will take on N.C. A&T at 4:30 p.m. at HU's Holland Hall. Saturday's slate in Virginia Beach will include HU-N.C. A&T and MDES-Savannah State (11 a.m.) and HU-Savannah State and MDES-S.C. State (4 p.m.).
 

Friday, Sept. 22
	MDES vs. N.C. A&T	4:30 p.m.
	S.C. State at HU	7 p.m.
	Savannah State at NSU	7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 23
	NSU vs. S.C. State	11 a.m.
	HU vs. N.C. A&T	11 a.m.
	MDES vs. Savannah State	11 a.m.
	NSU vs. N.C. A&T	4 p.m.
	HU vs. Savannah State	4 p.m.
	MDES vs. S.C. State	4 p.m.

 
Norfolk State will have live stats for all three of its matches. There will also be live video for Friday's contest against Savannah State at Gill Gymnasium, also available through the NSU website.
 
The matches will not count toward conference records. Admission is free for all matches.
 
Team Updates
The Spartans enter the tournament 2-8 on the season following last weekend's action at the Red Flash Classic at Saint Francis (Pa.). Besides a clash at William & Mary in October, this weekend will mark the last non-conference matches of the season for NSU.
 
Maryland Eastern Shore arrives with the most pedigree, owning an 11-4 record this year, including a victory over William & Mary and ones over MEAC foes Coppin State and Delaware State last weekend. The latter two did not count as conference matches.
 
North Carolina A&T carries a 5-8 record, with four wins coming against teams in the SWAC and one versus Delaware State. Hampton (2-11) and Savannah State (2-9) each have a pair of wins on the year, while South Carolina State (0-10) still has yet to even win a set this year.
 
NSU Capsule
The Spartans have had some freshmen flavor in their lineup this year, with rookies Taylor Eichelberger (2.38 kills per set) and Jazmine Craig (1.83) ranking first and second on the team in kills. In addition, freshman Clara Kick leads the way with 0.85 blocks per set. She has also chipped in with 1.44 kills.
 
Seniors Clarke Tyler (1.53 kills) and Hope Forsythe (1.50) have also been central to NSU's offense, and Tyler (0.62 blocks) and junior Lexi Brown (0.66) have been instrumental in the Spartans' improved blocking this year.
 
A trio of seniors have been anchors in the backcourt, with Melvina Brown tallying 4.47 digs per set. Senior Tori Tulensru (2.26) and Forsythe (2.04) are also averaging better than two digs per set.
 
MEAC Rankings
Brown, in fact, ranks second in the MEAC in digs per set, trailing only Valentina Carrasco of Florida A&M (5.09). Brown also stands seventh in service aces (0.32). Kick is the only other Spartan player ranked, sitting sixth in both hitting percentage (.286) and blocks (0.85).
 
As a team, Norfolk State ranks highest in opponent hitting percentage (fourth, .215). The Spartans are fifth in service aces per set (1.21) and seventh in each of the other categories (hitting percentage, .112; assists, 9.35; kills, 10.06; blocks, 1.71; digs, 12.82).
 
Up Next
NSU will stay home to host the first official conference matches of the season. The Spartans play Coppin State on Sept. 29 at 6 p.m., followed by a matchup against Morgan State on Oct. 1 at 3 p.m., both at Gill Gymnasium.