NORFOLK, Va. – On the heels of a dramatic Battle of the Bay matchup, Norfolk State volleyball heads to Knoxville, Tenn. for the Rocky Top Classic – a three-match event.
 
The Spartans (0-4) open the tournament with a 4 p.m. matchup on Friday against The Citadel (2-4). NSU faces the home team, Tennessee (3-3), at 12 p.m. on Saturday and New Hampshire (5-3) just a few hours later at 4:30 p.m.
 
All matches will take place at Thompson-Boling Arena, with the bout against the Volunteers being streamed on SEC Network+.
 
Last Time Out
 
With Gill Gymnasium filled to its capacity, NSU and Hampton gave the crowd an epic showdown on Wednesday night. After both teams alternated blows throughout the match, the Pirates came out victorious 3-2.
 
Paola Matos led the Spartans with 15 kills, while Shonte Seale followed close behind at 14. Nicole Rodriguez led both squads with 19 digs and freshman Sydney McCree contributed 10 digs in addition to her 39 assists.
 
Scouting the Field
 
After starting the season with four consecutive losses, The Citadel has gotten things back on track quickly with wins over Gardner Webb and Clemson. The Bulldogs are led by potent outside hitter Ruffin, a preseason All-SoCon selection averaging 3.32 kills per set.
 
Tennessee's lethal offensive attack helped them sweep N.C. State, but the team has allowed a .232 opponent hitting percentage, the second-worst rate of SEC teams. Preseason all-conference outside hitter Morgahn Fingall is putting up 4.08 kills per set thus far, while fellow preseason honoree Natalie Hayward has racked up 226 assists.
 
The Spartans will have a tall task in taking down New Hampshire – literally. 12 of the Wildcats 21 players are listed at 6-0 or taller. Middle blockers Kelly Kaufmann have recorded 23 blocks each this season, ranking them third in the America East Conference.