NORFOLK, Va. – Down 2-0, and after Delaware State pulled away in the second set, the Norfolk State volleyball team was in a tough spot on Sunday afternoon at Gill Gymnasium. But the Spartans were able to start a rally that ultimately fell short in a 3-2 loss to the Hornets in a MEAC contest.
 
DSU came away with the win in the first two sets, including a close 25-23 victory in the first followed by a 25-16 score in the second. But NSU found itself after that, surging in the third to a 25-14 victory and then using a big run in the fourth for an eventual 25-18 margin.
 
But in the fifth, Delaware State was able to gain momentum back, finishing the victory off by a 15-10 score.
 
The loss overshadowed another strong outing from senior Anna Rupertova. She reached double figures for the second match in a row, setting a new career high with 17 kills on a .275 attack percentage. She added a season-high 10 digs along the way.
 
But in the end, the Spartans fell to 1-22 overall, 1-12 in the MEAC. Senior Bojana Bolozan added 10 kills and three blocks, and junior Jannel Ezeagwu totaled a season-high nine kills with three blocks.
 
Delaware State (11-17, 6-7 MEAC) got 11 kills from three different players in Ryanne Burnett, Jordan Vang and Sydney Lewis, the latter of whom hit .409 for a team that struggled at times with unforced errors.
 
The Spartans had control of the third and took control part way through the fourth. But they needed a timeout in the fifth after DSU's 7-2 run made it a 7-4 contest. NSU called another timeout down 10-6, and the Hornets scored three of the next four points to get within two of the win. A kill from Ezeagwu and an error on DSU got NSU to double digits on the scoreboard before an error on the Spartans closed things out.
 
Still, they showed a ton of fight in the third and fourth, including a 10-3 start to the third. Bolozan had a couple of kills and a block during that time, while kills by junior Jazmine Craig and senior Jessica Radford helped push the lead to eight. Two kills by Ezeagwu were later followed by kills from three separate players as the lead went up by as much as the final margin of 11.
 
The fourth did not start off as well, as Norfolk State trailed by four in the early going. But Rupertova had four kills during a 9-0 run that completely changed the outlook. The Hornets began to give away points, and a block by Bolozan and Radford pushed the lead to 21-12. DSU won a few points at the end to get as close as it could.
 
The Hornets won the second set despite being down 12-10 after NSU had scored five straight. But that was it for the Spartans, as Delaware State went up 2-0 in the match thanks to a closing 15-4 run.
 
DSU also closed out the first set strong. The Hornets led by two, but watched the advantage disappear. First NSU tied it up at 9-9 and then again at 13-13 after an ace from senior Jill Aquino. Rupertova had two kills during a 4-0 run for NSU that made it 17-15 in its favor.
 
It was still 19-16 after a block from Rupertova and Ezeagwu, but DSU won five in a row for the edge. Radford and Ezeagwu each recorded kills to tie things up, and it was still even at 23-23 after two DSU errors. But a kill from DSU and an error on NSU gave the Hornets the early 1-0 lead in the match.
 
The Spartans lost despite hitting .230 compared to .168 for Delaware State. The Hornets also held a 12-4 advantage in aces, including four from Jasmal Cruz. She also led all players with 23 digs. Burnett added 14 for a double-double, and Mayah Ngundam and Sydney Armbrister combined for 17 kills. The trio of Ngundam, Burnett and Vang also combined for 20 attack errors.
 
Radford and Craig each had six kills. Radford set a career high for both kills and blocks with four. Freshman Myleah Carter and junior Julisa Carrizosa led the way with 17 and 16 digs, respectively.
 
The Spartans will play their second-to-last match of the season on Tuesday at home against Howard. First serve is set for 6 p.m. at Gill Gymnasium.