NORFOLK, Va. - The Norfolk State volleyball team’s 2024 season begins with the Norfolk State Tournament at home on Aug. 30-31 at Joseph Echols Hall. The Spartans enter the season projected fifth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) by the league’s preseason poll.
Head coach Kathy Bullock, entering her fifth season, comes off a historic 2023 season that landed the first Rookie of the Year recipient and All-MEAC First Team selection in school history in Gabrielle Gilbert.
“I’ve been using this summer to get better. It’s always been about improvement and being one step ahead of where I was last year,” Gilbert said. ”I want to bring better energy, greater impact, and a bigger role for the team, whilst also becoming MEAC Player of the Year this season.”
The outside hitter from Indianapolis, Ind., Gilbert took the MEAC by storm last year, ranking second in kills per set (3.58) and third in points (331.5), during her incredible freshman campaign. The six-time MEAC weekly honoree led the Spartans in four statistical categories: kills per set, points, total kills (297), and attack percentage (.267).
“Gabby is going to continue to grow, she is a quality student-athlete,” Bullock said. “She worked well over the summer and I am expecting great things from her. She wants to win and everyone around her wants to win as well, so we have high standards that we want to meet.”