NORFOLK, Va. – After tying the match up at a set apiece, the Norfolk State volleyball team saw North Carolina Central pull away in the next two sets to notch a 3-1 win over the Spartans (25-19, 18-25, 25-20, 25-15) on Sunday afternoon at Gill Gym.

Despite the loss, the Spartans (8-16 overall, 4-8 MEAC) got two stellar performances from libero Nicole Rodriguez and outside hitter Rachel Williams. Rodriguez tallied a career-high 29 digs, tied for the fifth-most in school history and third-most in the MEAC this year. William posted her sixth double-double of the year with 15 kills and 13 digs.

Nevertheless, the Eagles (9-13, 8-5) hit .258 and held NSU with a .150 percentage to sweep the season series.

NSU led 9-6 early in set 1 after an ace by Rodriguez. NCCU gradually pulled even, then took the lead for good at 15-14 on a Spartan service error, then McKayla Young's kill put the Eagles up by two. A pair of attack errors on the Spartans ended the set.

The Eagles scored the first four points of the second set, but NSU responded with an 11-2 run. Six of the points came off the serve of Paola Maradei, including two of her own aces and three kills off swings by Williams. The Spartans led by as many as nine points in the set and did not commit an attack error, hitting .361 with 13 kills to even the match.

NSU held an 8-5 edge in the third set after a kill by Williams. But after an NCCU timeout, the Eagles answered with a 7-0 run, with Young putting down three kills. That proved to be a decisive run, as the Spartans could get no closer than two (22-20, after another Williams kill) the rest of the way.

The fourth set saw the Eagles open with a 4-1 run, then used a 9-2 run later to pull away from the Spartans. NCCU hit a match-best .444 with 12 kills and no errors in the decisive set.

Young had 19 kills, Ammaarah Williams 13 and both Abby Vacha and Arlanda Faulkner 10 apiece for the Eagles.

Rodriguez's dig total ties April Johnson (1996 vs. Virginia Union) for fifth in school history. The 29 digs are the most since Noelle Eagles' school-record 33 on Oct. 7, 2012, vs. North Carolina A&T.

Williams hit a blistering .341, a season best, with 15 kills and just one error on 41 attempts. Shonte Seale contributed 12 kills and six digs, while Paola Matos had eight kills and Taylor Eichelberger seven. Caris Cross posted 39 assists for NSU to go with five kills and seven digs. Maradei tallied four aces.

The Spartans are off until they close the regular season with a 2 p.m. match next Sunday at Echols Hall against Howard.