NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State volleyball team swept Delaware State on Sunday 3-0 to snap the Hornets' 19-match home winning streak, earning set victories of 26-24, 25-21, and 25-21.
 
Shonte Seale led NSU (2-10, 2-0 MEAC) with 13 kills in the program's first win over Delaware State (11-4, 1-1) since 2018. She also checked off a valuable individual milestone in the process, reaching 1,000 total kills across her entire college career.
 
Carla Hernandez added 11 kills and six digs, while Nicole Rodriguez commanded the defense with 10 digs. Freshman setter Sydney McCree put together another strong performance as well, posting 33 assists, eight digs, and four service aces.
 
Seale and Hernandez got the offense rolling early, combining for kills in the first set. The team's attack looked dominant in the opening, racking up 15 kills on a .406 hitting percentage with just two errors.
 
NSU had a commanding 18-14 lead, before a 5-0 Delaware State run flipped the script. The Spartans maintained their composure, though, preventing the Hornets from pulling away any further. After two unsuccessful set points moments earlier, Paola Maradei got an attack to fall for a 1-0 NSU match lead.
 
Norfolk State had no plans of take its foot off the gas pedal. A 9-1 burst, fueled by three Seale kills, gave the Spartans an 11-5 advantage early in the second set.
 
The team's composure would be tested again, though, as another 5-0 Hornet run evened the set at 19 in similar fashion to the opening game. The Spartans persevered again, winning five of the last six points of the set. McCree dropped in her second ace of the afternoon to clinch a 2-0 lead for the Spartans.
 
The team's traded momentum throughout the third set, the Spartans looking for one crucial push to put the match away. They got exactly that, a late 7-1 run, behind an impressive series of serves by McCree and Hernandez.  
 
With the Spartans in prime position, the team struggled to deliver the final blow as DSU slowly closed the gap. Two kills in a three-point span by Seale shut down any chance of a comeback, though, as the Spartans clinched their first road victory of the season.
 
Norfolk State returns to Gill Gymnasium on Friday for a 6 p.m. match against Howard, the defending MEAC champion.