NORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk State volleyball team (9-12, 3-5 MEAC) hung close with North Carolina Central (5-13, 3-4 MEAC) on Friday night, but prolonged scoring runs were the difference maker in the 3-0 loss.

Sophomore Gabrielle Gilbert led the Spartans with 15 kills with senior Alexa Harris adding 13. Seven different players for Norfolk State tallied a block assist. Juniors Sydney McCree recorded 30 assists and Lily Rose-Pichon totaled 12 digs.

The Spartans hit .220 and .200 in sets one and two, respectively, but were outpaced by the .274 hitting of the Eagles. Norfolk State held a 5-4 block advantage over North Carolina Central.

After a hot start by the Eagles, the Spartans responded with an 8-3 run to bring it within two points of the Eagles, 16-14. In that span, Harris led the charge with four kills joined by Lyons with two kills and GIlbert with a kill and a block assist.

Tied at 19-19 behind two attacking errors by the Eagles and a kill by Lyons, the Spartans fought hard in the final points of the first set. Norfolk State brought it within one point behind kills from Lyons and Gilbert (23-22), but kills from Eagles secured them the 25-22 win in set one.

The Spartans battled towards the end of the second set behind a 7-2 run that tied the set at 22-22. Gilbert, the difference maker in the set, totaled two kills and a service ace in the run. Allowing three kills to their one, the Spartans fell in set two 25-23.

A 5-2 run in the third set allowed the Spartans to close in on the Eagles' lead, 14-13, but a 6-0 run by North Carolina Central secured them the lead that they never relinquished.

Checking The Box Score

• Gilbert (15)  and Harris (13) double-digit kills for the Spartans
• Norfolk State's assist leader, McCree, contributed 30 assists to lead the team
• Lyons totaled 11 digs and Rose-Pichon captured 12 for double-digit dig performances

News & Notes

• North Carolina Central leads the all-time series 21-12 over the Spartans
• In the previous meeting between the teams, the Spartans fell to the Eagles in five sets in Durham, N.C.

LOOKING AHEAD TO WHAT'S NEXT
Norfolk State hosts South Carolina State on Sunday for Homecoming at 1 p.m. at the Gill Gymnasium in Norfolk, Va.

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