NORFOLK, Va. – The 2019 season comes to a close on Sunday when the Norfolk State volleyball team hosts South Carolina State for Senior Day. The Spartan program will honor eight departing players prior to the match against the Bulldogs at 1 p.m. at Gill Gymnasium.
 
Those eight players, including five four-year ones, will be recognized right before first serve. For those who cannot be there, NSUSpartans.com will have live video and live stats for the match.
 
NSU is looking to close out the season strong against the Bulldogs, who are winless on the season at 0-26, 0-12 in the MEAC going into their Friday match at Howard. The Spartans own a 1-23 record on the season, 1-13 in the league.
 
Despite its record, S.C. State will advance to the MEAC tournament as a result of Florida A&M's ineligibility.
 
Senior Salute
NSU's senior class includes five players who have spent all four years here, as well as three more who all arrived from Odessa College. Each of the eight players has seen their name pop up on the NSU AD Honor Roll during their career.
 
Bojana Bolozan and Halley McKnight arrived from Odessa prior to the 2018 season. Bolozan ranked second in the MEAC last year in hitting percentage (.285) and aces (0.41) – top 40 in the nation in aces as well – and is third this year in blocks (0.94). She also ranks seventh all-time at NSU in hitting percentage (.237) and 13^th in blocks (135). McKnight, meanwhile, is currently ninth in the MEAC and top 90 in the nation in aces (0.38) and 12^th all-time at NSU in assists (330) while piling up 243 digs and 60 kills during her time with the Spartans.
 
Anna Rupertova arrived one year earlier from Odessa College than Bolozan and McKnight, but redshirted her first season at NSU due to injury. She was named Team MVP last year, and was twice named to an all-tournament team. She has led the team in kills both seasons, compiling 331 in 45 matches. Rupertova also earned the NSU Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award last year for having the highest GPA among all female student-athletes.
 
Jill Aquino is one of those five four-year players. She ranks fifth all-time at NSU in assists with 1,534, having played in 88 matches altogether. She was a two-time MEAC Rookie of the Week and a one-time MEAC Setter of the Week her freshman year, and she also owns career totals of 391 digs, 51 aces, 38 kills and 23 blocks.
 
Daiysa Burrell has played in 140 sets and 59 matches during her four years, piling up 118 kills, 47 digs and 20 blocks, including 15 kills over the last three matches. Three of her teammates in Jessica Radford (37 kills, 26 blocks, 19 digs in 40 matches), Ashley Patterson (93 digs, 15 aces in 43 matches) and Destine Hooker (18 matches) will also be recognized for their dedication to the program. Radford most recently set and then tied her career high with six kills in each of the last two matches as well.
 
Other Rankings
Aside from Bolozan and McKnight, freshman Myleah Carter also ranks in the MEAC at 10^th in digs at 3.36. McKnight sits 83^rd in the nation in aces, while Bolozan is in the top 250 in blocks per set as well.
 
NSU's highest team ranking in the MEAC is eighth in both blocks (1.60) and digs (12.61).
 
Series History
South Carolina State, once one of the better teams in the league, owns a 22-6 all-time advantage against Norfolk State. The Spartans have won two out of the last three after meeting up with the Bulldogs in early season tournaments the past several years. This year is the first year NSU will play S.C. State in an official MEAC capacity since its last year in the Southern Division in 2010.
 
Last Time Out
NSU nearly came away with the victory over division leading Howard, but the Bison won the fourth and fifth sets for a 3-2 win on Tuesday evening at Gill Gym. NSU was primed to take the match after winning the first (25-21) and third sets (25-23) for the early lead. Howard earned the 25-20 second-set victory, followed by 25-16 and 15-12 scores in the last two.
 
Rupertova reached double digits in kills for the third straight match, tying her career high with 17 while setting a new career best with 17 digs. Bolozan went for a season-best 15 kills while hitting .429 with four blocks and three aces. The Spartans hit .231 as a team.