NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State volleyball team hits the road this weekend looking to complete regular season sweeps against a pair of MEAC opponents.
 
The Spartans (6-8, 5-2 MEAC) battle North Carolina Central (3-13, 2-5) at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 20 at the McDougald-McLendon Area, before squaring off at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 22 against South Carolina State (1-20, 0-7) at Dukes Gymnasium.
 

Matches 15-16: MEAC Road Action
Coverage	Oct. 20 | at North Carolina Central | 6:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch  Oct. 22 | vs. South Carolina State | 1:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch
Venue	McDougald-McLendon Area (Durham, N.C.) | Dukes Gymnasium (Orangeburg, S.C.)  (All 2023 volleyball regular-season matches are free of charge to the public. Seating is 1st come, 1st served.)
Social Media	Twitter | Instagram | #GoldStandard #BEHOLD #AllIn

Norfolk State Notes
 
Gabrielle Gilbert continues to shine in her debut season, picking up her fourth MEAC Rookie of the Week recognition on Monday afternoon. The freshman outside hitter stands third in the MEAC with 3.48 kills per set and eighth in hitting percentage (.277).
 
Sophomore Sydney McCree, who recorded her 1000^th career assist last weekend, ranks third in the MEAC with 8.14 assists per set. Adlene Jideofor's 0.74 blocks per set ranks fifth in the conference.
 
NSU currently sits in a tie for second in the MEAC standings with Howard, behind only Coppin State (16-3, 6-0).
 
North Carolina Central Notes
 
The Eagles come into Friday's match off a 3-0 win over SCSU last week. Jeslyn Spencer led NCCU with 10 kills, while Bella Dearinger racked up 33 assists.
 
North Carolina Central brings a strong defensive game, with Loren Johnson's 4.12 digs per set ranking second in the MEAC. Johnson also ranks fifth in service aces per set (0.38).
 
NSU defeated NCCU 3-0 at Gill Gymnasium on Sep. 22, behind 31 assists from McCree. Shonte Seale led the Spartans with 13 kills.
 
South Carolina State Notes
 
The Bulldogs earned their first win of the 2023 campaign earlier this month against Allen University, a 3-2 victory. Kiyah Felder led the team with a 29-kill performance, while Kaia Barnett posted 41 assists.
 
NSU defeated SCSU 3-1 at Gill Gymnasium on Sep. 24, behind 15 kills from Gilbert. Gilbert also posted five service aces, while Jideofor tallied five blocks.