NORFOLK, Va. – The last four matches of the season for the Norfolk State volleyball team all take place at home, and the first three of those will come in a five-day span. Action gets underway this Friday as the Spartans host Maryland Eastern Shore.
 
First serve is set for 6 p.m. at Gill Gymnasium. Following that match, NSU will host Delaware State on Sunday at 2 p.m., and then Howard on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Spartans have already faced all three teams earlier this year on the road.
 
Live stats and a live video feed for all three matches will be available.
 
The last four contests are part of a larger stretch in which NSU closes out its season with nine of its last 12 matches at home. After Tuesday, the only one left will be Senior Day the following weekend.
 
The Spartans are in a spoiler role now, as they cannot advance to the MEAC tournament. Maryland Eastern Shore and Delaware State are currently in a battle for the final spot from the Northern Division. Despite a setback last weekend, Howard has a comfortable lead for the division title.
 
NSU comes into the weekend 1-20 overall, 1-10 in the league. MDES and DSU each have identical overall (10-16) and conference records (5-6). Howard, meanwhile, stands 10-1 in the MEAC and 13-12 overall, owning a two and a half game lead for the division.
 
Last month, NSU fell to the Hawks (3-0) and the Hornets (3-1) during a weekend away from home. The Spartans also dropped a 3-0 match to the Bison a few weeks later.
 
Complete Standings
With Howard in first, Morgan State (8-4) and Coppin State (7-5) have the edge for the second and third spots, respectively, in the division. Either MDES or DSU will claim the last spot, barring a complete collapse from the teams ahead of them.
 
The South still lines up with North Carolina A&T (10-1), North Carolina Central (5-6), Bethune-Cookman (4-7) and South Carolina State (0-10). Florida A&M, which is 6-5 in the MEAC, remains ineligible.
 
MEAC Rankings
NSU now has three players in the top 10 in the conference rankings. Senior Halley McKnight recently moved into ninth in service aces with 0.38. In addition, senior Bojana Bolozan is fourth in blocks with 0.94, and freshman Myleah Carter stands 10^th in digs at 3.43.
 
Maryland Eastern Shore has two of the top three players in both aces and blocks per set, while DSU has two of the top three in hitting percentage.
 
Last Time Out
NSU is coming off a pair of losses last weekend up in Baltimore. On Friday, Coppin State earned a sweep via scores of 25-13, 25-22 and 25-23, with Bolozan tallying eight kills and three blocks to lead the Spartans.
 
Then on Sunday, Morgan State got revenge for a loss earlier this year to NSU. The Bears won 25-13, 25-20 and 25-13. This time, it was senior Anna Rupertova posting a team-high six kills.
 
Series History
Maryland Eastern Shore has now won 12 in a row over NSU after its victory earlier this year, pushing its all-time record against the Spartans to 37-10. They last won in 2013 when they swept all three meetings that year against the Hawks.
 
Norfolk State has had much more success recently against DSU. The Spartans swept the home-and-home series in 2015, '16 and '18, with the Hornets completing the sweep in 2017. Looking to make it a sweep this year, DSU still leads the all-time series, 23-17.
 
Howard has won 13 in a row over the Spartans to extend its lead in the all-time series, 23-5. Since the Bison began their ascent to the top of the league, they have dropped just one set to the Spartans in the last 11 matches dating back to the 2014 season.
 
Up Next
Senior Day will take place on November 17 against South Carolina State at 1 p.m. in Gill Gym.