Norfolk State University Athletics

Washington D.C. – The Norfolk State volleyball team dropped a road contest in straight sets to Howard, concluding the Spartans' regular season campaign.
 
The Bison narrowly took the first set 27-25, before winning the final two games 25-21 and 25-15. The loss dropped the Spartans to 7-17 overall and 7-7 in the MEAC, while Howard clinched a share of the conference regular season title.
 
Despite the loss, Norfolk State heads into the MEAC tournament with its most conference wins under its belt in nearly a decade. The Spartans .500 winning percentage in MEAC play is their best since 2013.
 
Outside hitter Carla Hernandez led the Spartans with 11 kills, adding seven digs as well. Sydney McCree totaled 21 assists, while Nicole Rodriguez recorded a team-high 11 digs.
 
Facing the Bison for the second time in three days, NSU took the first four points of the match with a string of crafty serves by McCree. After the Bison pulled within one, Hernandez responded with a kill and ace on consecutive points.
 
Seale completed the same sequence later in the set, putting away a McCree pass before acing the Bison on the next point. A 7-1 Howard run gave the Bison another lead, but Adlene Jidefor stopped the momentum with a much-needed kill off a Sofie Langer assist.
 
Seale recorded a pair of kills in a six-point run by NSU behind the serve of Paola Matos, but the Bison clawed back to tie the set at 23. After Howard staved off two set points, Bison freshman Rya McKinnon landed an ace and kill to close out the back-and-forth set.
 
The second set stay tight like the first, but Howard took a 20-16 with a 4-0 run late in the game. Two errors from McKinnon and a Seale kill helped NSU shrink the gap, but the Spartans couldn't get within one as Howard closed out the set.
 
Norfolk State struggled to stop the Bison's potent attack in the third game, allowing 14 kills while Howard committed only two errors.
 
The Spartans head to the MEAC Tournament in Dover, Del. next week as the No. 4 seed, facing No. 5 Maryland Eastern Shore in the first round on Friday at 2:30 p.m. The winner of that match will play in the semifinals at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.