NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State volleyball team nearly pulled off one of the biggest wins in the MEAC this season, but Northern Division leader Howard was able to come away with a 3-2 win on Tuesday evening at Gill Gymnasium.
 
The Bison won the final two sets to avoid the loss as they maintained their stranglehold on the division. Howard closed out the win by taking those final two sets, 25-16 and 15-12. They also won the second stanza, 25-20, while NSU took the first (25-21) and third sets (25-23).
 
Senior Anna Rupertova had her third straight match with double-digit kills, tying her career high set the previous outing with 17. She also set a new career high with 17 digs. Senior Bojana Bolozan nearly tied her career high as well, settling for a season-best 15 kills while hitting .429 with four blocks and three service aces.
 
For the Bison (16-12 overall, 13-1 MEAC), Kailyn Williams went for 19 kills while hitting .319 with 11 digs. Myca Mitchell posted a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs, and Tamar Wells also reached double figures with 10 kills.
 
NSU dropped to 1-23 on the season, 1-13 in the league, with one more match left in the year.
 
In the fourth, Howard led 9-3 and by as much as 13 in the late stages before NSU scored six straight for a more respectable score. The Bison stumbled early in the fifth, losing the first three points to fall into a hole. They then won seven of the next eight for a 7-4 edge.
 
The Spartans were within one after a kill from Bolozan and an error on HU, but they then called timeout down 11-7. Needing a rally, NSU did just that, winning the next four points. Junior Jannel Ezeagwu had two kills to spark the late surge, but Howard scored three straight points and got a block to close it out.
 
Norfolk State looked in control at the start of the match, winning the first four points and nine of the first 11. NSU pushed the lead to 10 at 18-8 after a kill from Bolozan and two from junior Jazmine Craig. The Spartans did have to sweat it out following a 9-2 Bison run. But two more Rupertova kills were more than enough to finish it off.
 
Howard led 7-2 to start the second set, but NSU got to within two at 11-9 after Rupertova landed three kills. The Spartans called timeouts as the Bison went up by five and then six while eventually tying the match at one set each.
 
An 8-0 run in the third, highlighted by three kills and a block from Bolozan, gave NSU a 14-9 lead. Howard stormed back to go up by two at 19-17 following a 10-3 run. But the Spartans won the next four points, later got two kills from Bolozan, and then held off the Bison after they got to 24-23.
 
NSU hit .231 for the evening with just a few more errors than Howard, which finished with a .255 attack percentage. Junior Julisa Carrizosa went for 16 digs, and senior Jill Aquino tallied a double-double of 22 assists and 12 digs. Sophomore Makenzy Johnson added 24 assists and eight digs.
 
Asha Johnson ended the night with nine kills and 12 digs, and Abby Morrow led all players with 22 digs as well. Setter Semira Blair handed out 49 assists with six kills, six digs and four blocks. At the service line, Busiswe Banda landed six aces, helping the Bison finish with 14 for the evening.
 
NSU will finish out its season on Sunday at home for Senior Day against South Carolina State at 1 p.m.