NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State knocked on the door of its first victory of the season on Friday evening, but for the second time in three days, the Spartans' inspiring comeback came up two points short.
 
Kicking off the Rocky Top Invitational, NSU won a dominant fourth set to extend the match, but The Citadel ended the Spartans' comeback in the final game. The Bulldogs came away with a 25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 19-25, 15-13 victory.
 
Freshman Sydney McCree posted the second double-double of her debut season with 28 assists and a career-high 15 digs. Shonte Seale led the Spartans with 18 kills on .220 hitting percentage, adding nine digs of her own.
 
The Citadel jumped out to a commanding 9-4 lead in the opening game, but a string of kills by Paola Matos helped the Spartans close the gap. Back-to-back kills from Seale and junior Adlene Jideofor pulled NSU within one, but the Bulldogs struck first blood with a 6-2 run to close the set.
 
The Spartans got things back on track quickly, taking a 7-4 advantage in the second set with an ace by Matos. NSU did not commit a single reception error the entire match, while Matos stumped the Bulldogs with three service aces alone.
 
Seale heated up in the second game, recording five kills to keep the Spartans ahead. Her final attack of the second set was the clinching point, evening the match at one game apiece.
 
NSU hoped to put the Bulldogs on their heals by winning the third set, but a 10-1 Citadel run dropped the Spartans behind 19-13. They wouldn't give away anything without a battle, though. An emphatic Seale kill sparked a 6-1 NSU run to get within a point, but three strong ensuing attacks earned The Citadel a 2-1 match lead.
 
An inaccurate Bulldog serve gifted NSU the first point of the fourth set and the Spartans took advantage, capping off a 4-0 opening run with a kill by freshman Raquel Lightbourn. After The Citadel came back within a point, the Spartans produced another four-point swing, this time on Lightbourn's serve.
 
The Bulldogs keen attack caught them back up shortly after, but Lightbourn, Seale, and McCree combined for four kills in a six-point span to retake control. Seale sent two more balls across with blistering speed to put away the fourth set, sending the teams to a decisive game.
 
Matos gave NSU the first advantage of the final set with an emphatic kill, and Jideofor kept the Spartans moving with another two points later. Jideofor gave The Citadel trouble all night on both offense and defense, racking up six kills and a career-high five blocks.
 
The teams alternated leads, neither earning more than a two-point margin at any point in the set. The Bulldogs finally finished off the marathon match with a 3-0 closing run, scraping past the Spartans by a final score of 3-2.
 
Norfolk State (0-5) wraps up the Rocky Top Invitational with a doubleheader on Saturday. The Spartans face Tennessee (4-3) on SEC Network+ at noon and New Hampshire (5-4) at 4:30 p.m.