BALTIMORE, Md. – The Norfolk State volleyball team picked up its first win of the season in a 3-0 triumph over South Carolina State on Saturday morning at the Charm City Classic.
 
During the second day of the tournament at Morgan State's Hill Field House, the Spartans got their best hitting performance of the season. They hit .348 on the way to a 25-17, 25-14 and 25-23 win.
 
NSU snapped a 24-match losing streak dating back to the 2017 season. Its last win occurred exactly a year ago to date on Sept. 22, 2017 against Savannah State at home. South Carolina State remained winless on the year at 0-12.
 
Junior Anna Rupertova and sophomore Taylor Eichelberger led the way on offense. Rupertova hit .440 with 12 kills and 11 digs, while Eichelberger totaled 11 kills on a .375 attack percentage. Both were later named to the all-tournament team.
 
The Spartans had easier times in the first two sets before sweating it out in the third to hold on for the sweep. Eichelberger had eight kills in the set, including back-to-back ones that tied the score at 6-all. The Bulldogs led by one before kills by freshman Kyra Walden, junior Daiysa Burrell and Eichelberger gave the Spartans a two-point lead.
 
The Spartans were able to push the lead to three before S.C. State tied the score at 19-19. After a timeout, NSU got a pair of kills from Rupertova for a 23-19 advantage. The Bulldogs won the next four points, but a service error followed by another kill from Rupertova ended the match in the Spartans' favor.
 
It was an early 9-3 lead for Norfolk State to start the match, and Rupertova had five kills in the opening set that eventually saw NSU go up 18-12. The Spartans later won five straight, capped by a kill from Burrell, to pull away.
 
Freshman Makenzy Johnson had three service aces early in the second set, which began with NSU up 5-0. The lead stretched to six before the Bulldogs tied it up on the heels of a 9-3 run. But with Johnson on serve again, NSU ran off 10 straight points to put the set out of reach.
 
Walden finished with six kills, and Johnson tallied four of the team's six service aces.
 
South Carolina State hit .106 and got six kills each from Alexus Holt and Kyra Marshall.
 
NSU will host Coppin State and Morgan State next weekend for the first two conference matches of the season.