NORFOLK, Va. – Its best match of the season not so coincidentally gave the Norfolk State volleyball team its first win of the season. On Monday night, the Spartans bashed their way to a 3-0 win over Morgan State in a conference match at Gill Gymnasium.
 
NSU hit .241 and limited itself to just 11 attack errors while keeping MSU's offense at bay. The Spartans earned the victory through scores of 25-15, 25-23 and 25-16.
 
Several players made big contributions for an offense that piled up 39 kills, many of which the Bears had no defense for. Junior Jannel Ezeagwu hit .474 with nine kills, and senior Anna Rupertova also had nine kills on a .280 attack percentage to help lead the way.
 
Juniors Julisa Carrizosa (eight kills, .318 attack percentage) and Quiana Griffin (six kills, .417) and senior Halley McKnight (five kills, .158) also played a part in NSU's spread-the-wealth offense.
 
NSU moved its overall record to 1-14, 1-5 in the MEAC. Morgan State fell to 8-11 overall, 2-4 in the league.
 
The Spartans took control in each set thanks to big runs. In the first, it was a 7-0 run, or what later turned into a 13-2 spurt. Several players had kills during that time as NSU built up an eight-point lead. They stretched it to 23-12 after a kill from Ezeagwu, and even a couple of aces by the Bears could only do so much.
 
Another 7-0 run in the second again helped NSU surge ahead. Rupertova and McKnight each had two kills, and Carrizosa had two aces as the Spartans went up 13-6. Morgan State did rebound, eventually tying the score at 17-17. Carrizosa had several kills to put them back ahead, and it was 23-19 after another one from Rupertova.
 
MSU scored four straight to tie it up, but Rupertova followed an MSU service error with one more kill for the 2-0 lead.
 
The Spartans won the first six points of the third set and nine of the first 10. The Bears got as close as 13-9, but eventually NSU pulled away, getting a couple more kills from McKnight at the end for the sweep.
 
But it was not only the NSU offense that led to the win. Senior Bojana Bolozan had four blocks as the Spartans finished with an 8-1 edge there. Carrizosa also had 19 digs, second on the team to freshman teammate Myleah Carter who had 21. MSU hit .042 for the match and had several good looking kill attempts that the Spartans kept in play.
 
Zoe McBride added 11 kills and nine digs for MSU.
 
McKnight also contributed 16 assists and eight digs.
 
NSU will head to Howard this Friday for a MEAC contest at Burr Gymnasium.