Phoenix Classic

Friday, Sept. 8	NSU vs. North Carolina Central	4 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 9	NSU vs. Charleston Southern	10 a.m.
	NSU at Elon	7 p.m.

NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State enters week 2 of its 2017 season when the Spartan volleyball team travels to Elon for the Phoenix Classic this Friday and Saturday. NSU faces North Carolina Central on Friday at 4 p.m. and then Charleston Southern at 10 a.m. and host Elon at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Elon will have live stats for all three matches available at www.ElonPhoenix.com or at the top of this story. Saturday evening's match against the host school will also have live video attached, also through the Elon website.
 
The Spartans enter the weekend 1-3 after defeating Lafayette last weekend and falling to Saint Francis (Pa.), Central Connecticut State and Lehigh at the Crosstown Invitational.
 
NSU's opponent this Friday, North Carolina Central, remains winless on the season at 0-6. Its closest loss came against Gardner-Webb last Friday, a 3-2 setback. Kierra Shipman (2.00) is the only player averaging two kills per set or more for an offense hitting just .062.
 
Charleston Southern stands 1-7, having defeated South Carolina State on Tuesday by a 3-0 margin in its most recent matchup. Hannah Western (2.55 kills per set) and Kylie Klein (2.16) pace the offensive attack, and Klein also leads the way in blocking (0.74).
 
At 5-3, Elon comes in as the top dog with wins over Charlotte and Liberty as well as a 3-0 victory over North Carolina A&T, which also hails from the MEAC Southern Division along with NCCU and S.C. State. Elon relies on a pair of players with offensive firepower in Sydney Busa (4.47 kills per set) and Kam Terry (4.23). the Phoenix have been weaker on defense, averaging just 1.27 blocks per set as a team.
 
Freshmen Impact
NSU freshmen made an immediate impact in the first weekend of the year, with Taylor Eichelberger (2.77) and Jazmine Craig (2.09) leading the way in kills per set. The Spartans also got offense from another rookie in Clara Kick (1.38 kills), with freshman Quiana Griffin splitting time at setter with senior Hope Forsythe.
 
Forsythe (1.62) and senior Clarke Tyler (1.69) also added offense last week.
 
Craig stands third on the team in digs (1.45) while Kick leads the way at the net with 1.23 blocks.
 
Senior Stability
Two seniors in Melvina Brown and Tori Tulensru carried NSU's backcourt defense. Brown tallied 4.23 digs per set, with Tulensru second with 3.15, both more than double any other player on the team. Brown had her third career 20-dig match with exactly 20 against Saint Francis (Pa.). Tulensru set a new career high with 18 digs, also against Saint Francis.
 
Forsythe, splitting time at setter with Griffin, set a new career best as well with 21 assists against Lafayette.
 
Improved Blocking
The Spartans averaged just 1.36 blocks per set last year. But during the first weekend of this season, in 13 sets, they bumped that up to 2.23 blocks. Kick was a big reason why along with junior Lexi Brown (0.82). Tyler (0.54), last year's leading blocker, also pitched in.
 
Series History
NSU has never beaten Charleston Southern (0-2) or Elon (0-7). The Spartans fell to Elon by a 3-0 score last year at the same Phoenix Classic. NSU last faced Charleston Southern in 2014, falling by a 3-1 score at James Madison.
 
NSU and North Carolina Central, on the other hand, have played a lot more often. The Eagles hold a 14-9 lead in the all-time series, which includes numerous matches during NSU's Division II days in the CIAA in the mid-1990s. NSU is 2-8 against NCCU during its Division I days, having last played in 2015, a 3-2 loss in a tournament at James Madison. Prior to that, the two teams played in 2012 in the MEAC tournament, with the Spartans coming away with a 3-2 win in the quarterfinal round.
 
Up Next
NSU's third tournament of the season is set for Saint Francis (Pa.) on Sept. 15-16. The Spartans play Morehead State on day 1 and then the host Red Flash and Bucknell on day 2.