NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State hopes to end its losing streak, and start MEAC play with a 1-0 record, when the Spartans host Maryland Eastern Shore on Friday evening.
 
NSU (0-10) and MDES (2-8) will face off at Gill Gymnasium at 6 p.m. for both teams' first bout of conference play. The match will be live streamed on HBCU League Pass+.
 
Last Time Out
 
Norfolk State dropped a pair of matches at the Virginia Tech Classic last week, falling 3-0 to the host Hokies on Thursday and Appalachian State on Friday by the same result.
 
Shonte Seale led the Spartans with seven kills against the Hokies, followed by eight against the Mountaineers. Freshman Sydney McCree continued her strong freshman campaign with 40 assists across the two matches. Carla Hernandez enjoyed one of her best defensive performances on Saturday, reaching 11 digs for the third time this season.
 
Seale now sits second in the MEAC with 3.0 kills per set, while McCree ranks third at 6.83 assists per set. Nicole Rodriguez maintains her reputation as one of the conference's top liberos, averaging 3.74 digs per set.
 
Scouting the Hawks
 
The Hawks earned 3-0 victories against Siena and Manhattan for their two wins, suffering a tight early-season loss at Binghamton. Despite the match not counting towards the conference standings, MDES has already gotten a taste of MEAC competition at the George Mason Tournament last week, falling 3-2 against Morgan State with a thrilling fifth set.
 
Maryland Eastern Shore is powered by a balanced attack, with four players averaging over 2.0 kills per set. Middle blocker Charlize Williams has emerged as one of the conference's most daunting forces at the net, averaging 0.91 blocks per set.
 
Last Meeting / All-Time Series
 
MDES has a strong grip on the all-time series between the two teams, holding a 40-14 advantage. Norfolk State is looking for its first win over the Hawks since 2013.
 
Maryland Eastern Shore defeated the Spartans 3-0 in the teams' last meeting of the 2021 season, with the Hawks edging out three sets by scores of 28-26, 25-22, and 25-20. Paola Matos led the Spartans with eight kills and two service aces that night, while Rodriguez added 12 digs.