DOVER, Del. – Senior Halley McKnight went for a career-high 10 kills, but Delaware State piled up 61 kills as a team in a 3-1 win over the Norfolk State volleyball team on Sunday afternoon at Memorial Hall.
 
McKnight had a double-double thanks to 16 assists and hit .320 for the match. DSU was up early after taking the first two sets, 25-23 and 25-10. The Spartans went ahead in the third and held off a late Hornet rally to win 25-21, but DSU took the fourth set to end the match, 25-19.
 
Ryanne Burnett finished with 21 kills on a .409 attack percentage for Delaware State, which improved to 7-11 overall and 2-2 in the MEAC. Jordan Vang added 18 kills to the team's tally while hitting .351, including 10 kills in the first set alone.
 
NSU dropped to 0-13 overall, 0-4 in the league. Senior Bojana Bolozan added eight kills while hitting .389, helping the team hit a season-best .224. Senior Anna Rupertova and junior Julisa Carrizosa each added seven kills, with Carrizosa also tallying 12 digs, two blocks and two service aces in addition to her career high for kills.
 
The team came close to pulling off the upset in the first set, and the Spartans finally broke through in the third. It came thanks to a 13-3 run in the middle. Down 9-7, that run pushed NSU's lead to 20-12. McKnight had three kills during that run. DSU made it closer than it looked after scoring five straight points before Rupertova's kill ended it.
 
In the fourth, Rupertova's ace got the Spartans to within one at 10-9. Delaware State led by seven a short time later at 18-11 before NSU scored four straight. But Burnett had four kills in a five-serve span before the Spartans closed the gap slightly at the end.
 
Burnett's teammate Vang was on fire in the first, and DSU needed every one of those 10 kills. That's because the Hornets were down to start the match, 7-3, as Bolozan and sophomore Breona Young had a block of DSU hitter Sydney Armbrister for that four-point edge.
 
The Hornets slowly pulled even and then ahead at 17-14, but Carrizosa had two kills to help tie it up. After DSU went ahead again, Bolozan and McKnight had kills late in the set before Sydney Lewis finished it off.
 
In the second, the Hornets went up 7-1 and later closed the set on a 12-1 run.
 
Freshman Myleah Carter led NSU with 16 digs. Junior Jannel Ezeagwu contributed four blocks as the Spartans finished with seven compared to three for the Hornets.
 
DSU hit .290 as a team despite having seven more errors than NSU. Jasmal Cruz led all players with 18 digs and four aces, and Jelena Dukic added a double-double of 50 assists and 10 digs. DSU held a 13-6 advantage in aces as well.
 
NSU will return home to host its first opponent at Gill Gym in a month. The Spartans face Coppin State next Friday at 6 p.m., followed by Morgan State on Oct. 14 at 6 p.m.