NORFOLK, Va. - On Sunday, the Norfolk State volleyball team hosted Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe Howard for the annual "Breast Cancer Awareness" match, losing to the Bison in straight sets.
The Spartans (9-11, 3-4 MEAC) fell to Howard (13-5, 7-0 MEAC) 3-0 in their first meeting of the season. The next time Norfolk State faces Howard will be on Nov. 15 in the last regular season match.
In the first set, the Spartans responded to everything that the Bison threw at them. Taking advantage of multiple opportunities, Gabrielle Gilbert was pivotal in an early run off a service ace and a kill.
Norfolk State capitalized on a 4-2 run bringing themselves within one point of the Bison (7-6). In that span, Alexa Harris tallied two kills joining Jordan Lyons and Gilbert who each notched one.
Harris and Gilbert combined for nine kills in the first set, but a .452 hitting percentage from the Bison carried them a 25-15 win.
The Bison held a six point lead over the Spartans late in the second set (20-14). Catori Crawford initiated a 4-1 run behind a perfectly placed set by Jasmine Mataira.
Kills from Gilbert and Harris along with a Howard attacking error, put the Bison up 21-18 in set two. Exchanging back-to-back rallies with the Bison wasn't enough to win the set though as Norfolk State fell 25-19.
Hitting .563 in the third set, the Bison had full control defeating the Spartans 25-9 in the final set to take the win.
Checking The Box Score
- The Spartans' season leader in assists this season, McCree, notched 22 to lead the team
- Gilbert finished with 11 kills and Harris totaled seven
- Jideofor recorded five kills and two block assists
- McCree and Rose-Pichon collected six digs each
News & Notes
- Howard leads the all-time series 64-17 over the Spartans
- The Spartans move to 2-4 in MEAC play the season
- Norfolk State faced Howard again this season on Nov. 15 in Washington, D.C. at Burr Gymnasium
LOOKING AHEAD TO WHAT'S NEXT
The Spartans face North Carolina Central on Friday, Oct. 25 and South Carolina State on Sunday, Oct. 27 for the last matches of the month.
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