NORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk State volleyball team fell to the Eagles of Coppin State, 3-1, in its "Faculty Appreciation" match at Gill Gymnasium, Friday evening.

The Spartans (12-13, 6-6 MEAC) played Coppin State (14-14, 10-2 MEAC) for the last time this regular season, after meeting earlier on Oct. 11 in Baltimore, Md.

To begin the first set, the Spartans and the Eagles exchanged back-to-back kills with neither team controlling the lead for long. Harris led the charge for the Spartans, finishing with six kills in the set. 

Tied at 15-15, the Eagles went on an 11-4 run to secure the 25-19 win in set one. 

Norfolk State collected 14 kills and four attacking errors on a .270 attacking percentage in the first set.

Defensively, Norfolk State held the Eagles to .295 attacking in the second set, taking advantage of some key blocks from freshman Reagan Chisholm. The Spartans returned multiple attacking attempts by the Eagles, converting many to blocks.

Norfolk State totaled seven block assists in set two, as Chisholm posted four total in set two.

The Eagles took a timeout when the Spartans took an 11-9 lead on a Jordan Lyons kill. 

Two plays prior, Norfolk State sent back attack attempts from CSU's Payton Swinton on block assists from Lyons, Chisholm and Jasmine Mataira.

The Spartans took a 13-11 lead after kills by redshirt-senior Christian Wilson and sophomore Kaden Sanders. Responding with a pair of kills and a pair of service aces as well, the Eagles took a 16-14 lead.  

Norfolk State swiftly killed the Eagles momentum in its tracks with blocks from Chisholm and Gabrielle Gilbert, before Gilbert went up and secured another block with Adlene Jideofor, as the Spartans closed in on Eagles, 17-16.

Gilbert wasn't done yet because two points later she tallied a kill on an assist from Jasmine Mataira, 18-17.

After a Norfolk State timeout, the Spartans secured three kills from Jordan Lyons and one from Christian Wilson, to close in on the Eagles lead, 23-21. Unable to contain the Eagles, the Spartans fell in set two, 25-21.

Coppin State jumped out to an early lead over the Spartans, but they never maintained it for too long as Norfolk State came battling back, responding with a run of their own.

Before CSU called timeout, the Spartans went on a 8-4 run to bring them within one point of the Eagles, 19-18. In that span, Norfolk State saw kills from multiple key players: Jideofor, Mataira, Jala Dixon, and Gilbert.

Norfolk State's momentum carried after the timeout, with the help of DJ Vince getting the crowd into the game. A Spartans' run started on a kill from Harris, then later on a pair of attacking errors from the Eagles gave them their first lead in the set, 21-20. 

Both teams exchanged points back-to-back since that moment with the Spartans taking the third set from CSU, on a service error and a kill by Harris, for the cherry on top, 26-24.

Coppin State jumped out to a 9-2 lead early in the fourth set, to win the match 3-1 over the Spartans, after taking set four, 25-15.
  
Checking The Box Score

• Mataira (11) and Syndey McCree (15) combined for (25) assists
• The Spartans tallied 14 block assists to the Eagles six; Chisholm recorded four block assists, as Jideofor notched three
• Lily Rose-Pichon totaled 13 digs; McCree finished with nine
• Harris (12) and Gilbert (13) both tallied double-digit kills

News & Notes

• Coppin State leads the all-time series 29-17 over the Spartans
• Norfolk State came into the match seeded fourth in the MEAC

 
UP NEXT
In the last home match of the season, Norfolk State hosts Morgan State for its "Senior Day" match at 2 p.m. On Nov. 22-24, the 2024 MEAC Volleyball Championships will be held in Dover, Del. by Delaware State.

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