NSU Volleyball Ready to Turn Heads in 2022

Rebuilding a program is no easy task. It takes time and patience, and a recognition of subtle, incremental milestones. The Norfolk State women’s volleyball team has completed many stages of that journey under fourth-year head coach Kathy Bullock. 

After struggling to a 2-23 record in Bullock’s first season at the helm and going 1-5 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the Spartans made tremendous strides in 2021. The team finished the season with eight wins, including non-conference victories over American, Temple, and Radford, its strongest campaign since 2013.

NSU has proven it can compete with the strongest squads in the MEAC, but the group now seeks a breakthrough season to establish the program as a powerhouse in the conference. Ask Bullock or any player on the roster, the Spartans’ goal heading into Friday’s season opener against Towson at the Pirate Invitational isn’t complacently continuing the upward trajectory they’ve started; they have their eyes set on a MEAC championship.

“We’re very excited, this is going to be our best year so far,” Bullock said. “We have a good brand on the court right now, the girls are working extremely hard. “

Bullock has a new assistant coach under her belt, someone who possess an advantageous familiarity with the Norfolk State standard. Yolanda Roberts, who played volleyball at NSU from 2005-08, etched herself throughout the program’s record book­­s during that period. Her career totals rank second in school history in matches played (115), fifth in kills (786), third in attacks (2,533), sixth in service aces (136), eighth in digs (726), and seventh in points (986).

Only the second player in NSU history to record more than 700 kills and 700 digs, Roberts enjoyed coaching stints at Bryant & Stratton College, Bayside and Kempsville high schools before joining Bullock this summer. The two have worked relentlessly to ensure everyone on the roster maximizes their development. Preparation methods from confidence drills to progress evaluations have given players a sense of self-belief heading into the first stage of the schedule.

“Coach has been working on my all-around game, trying to become a six-rotation player,” outside hitter Shonte Seale said. “We’ve been working on different shots, different plays. We can’t just be a hard-hitting team; we have to be smart.”

Seale, who led the Spartans with 242 kills last year, and All-MEAC libero Nicole Rodriguez have embraced the pair’s escalated responsibility as veteran leaders on a team full of newcomers. They’ve both increased their vocal presence on and off the court, with Seale completing the NSU Athletics C.L.E.A.R. Leadership Academy.

“I’ve been working on how to communicate with others because I wasn’t the loudest athlete when I came to NSU,” Seale added. “I’ve been talking to my peers more and I’ve found that they come to me more for advice. All in all, it’s been an easy interaction with the girls.”

The players made sure to prioritize building a connection off the court in addition to chemistry between the lines, a task seemingly more difficult due to the linguistic variation of their backgrounds – The team includes representation from Mexico, Brazil and the Caribbean, among others, bringing together an assortment of languages.

No hay problema. The entire team has made a dedicated effort to learn Spanish, even communicating during scrimmages with easy-to-remember phrases like “Vamos!” and “Aquì.” The gesture has gone a long way for players like Rodriguez, who grew up in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“It feels like home playing with them because they try to understand how to talk like us,” she said. “It’s just a great culture here. It feels like a family.” 

While attempting to create an encouraging practice environment, the team has avoided becoming lethargic. Bullock has placed an emphasis on effort, expecting her players to show the same intensity when training that they’ll display on gameday.

“We’re running off the court to get balls and putting our bodies on the line to help our teammates,” Seale said. “Unless the whistle blows, the ball is not finished. We’re going to fight until the whistle blows to win the championship this year.”

NSU fans will meet a plethora of fresh faces this season, with eight newcomers joining the squad this season – four freshmen and four transfers. All the incoming transfers excelled at their respective junior colleges, starting with the oldest of the bunch, graduate student and talented outside hitter Carla Hernandez. 

“Carla has a lot of shot selections,” Bullock said. “She has great ball control.”

Hernandez, who also grew up in Puerto Rico, previously played at Daytona State early in her career, the same junior college Rodriguez attended before coming to NSU in 2020. The two share a preestablished chemistry on the court, reflective of their years-long friendship. 

But that’s not the team’s only connection forged outside of Gill Gymnasium’s walls. Juniors Sofie Langer and Alondra Hernandez battled alongside one another at Central Wyoming for two seasons before heading to NSU this summer. 

“Even though we’ve got new players that came into the system, some of them have played together before,” Bullock said. “It’s made it a much easier transition.”

Junior Adlene Jideofor rounds out the transfers, spending her first two years at State College of Florida. Jideofor and freshman Sierra Davis will add depth to the middle blocker position with returners Shachia Lamb and Paola Maradei.

Freshman Sydnee McCree pairs with Langer as the squad’s two setters, or the “quarterbacks” of the team as Bullock calls them. They will shoulder the responsibility of directing the team’s attack, similar to the aforementioned signal-callers on a football field.

Finishing out the freshman class, outside hitters Raquel Lightbourn and Dee-Dee Hood have quickly adapted to the speed and power of the college game. Come Friday, Seale expects Lightbourn, Hood, and the rest of the new arrivals’ impact to be on immediate display. 

“We have a variety of players this year around the court, you never really know who the ball is going to,” she said. “If teams try to watch film from last year to see where they can shut us down, they’ll be lost because we have such a balanced court and swingers from all directions.”

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