NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State volleyball team wrapped up the 2023 regular season in style, sweeping Hampton 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-11) on Monday.
The victory marked NSU's first win in the Battle of the Bay rivalry since Nov. 6, 2016.
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Shonte Seale, playing her final match in Gill Gymnasium, led the Spartans with 15 kills, while
Alexa Harris added 11 kills.
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Fabiana Muciola paced the Spartans defensively, racking up 15 digs.
Sydney McCree registered 34 assists.
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Hampton won the first three points of the match, but the Spartans fought right back with a 7-0 run on
Catori Crawford's serve. The burst included one ace from Crawford and two kills by Harris.
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Several strong points from the Pirates helped them claw back within two, but an ace by
Fabiana Mucciola got the Spartans back on track.
Gabrielle Gilbert took over from there, notching three consecutive kills on McCree passes.
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After
Adlene Jideofor got the Spartans a set point with a powerful kill, and Gilbert put the game away with a kill out of a NSU timeout.
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Hampton got off to another strong start in the second set, jumping out to a 6-2 lead. The Spartans eventually tied things up with a 4-0 run that included back-to-back kills from
Shonte Seale.
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Trailing 19-18 late in the second set, Seale tied the game with a kill, before Harris tallied a kill to take the lead. Crawford registered another service ace on the next play, and the Spartans maintained their advantage to take the second game 25-21.
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Norfolk State went on a 11-0 run behind Gilbert's serve in the third set, nulling any chance of a Pirate run. The sequence included three kills from freshman
Grace Smith, who finished the afternoon with five successful attacks.
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The Spartans will face Maryland Eastern Shore to open the MEAC Volleyball Tournament on Friday, Nov. 17. The match will take serve at 2:30 p.m.