Gaborone, Botswana - Three Norfolk State volleyball student-athletes traveled to Gaborone, Botswana to compete in the 2nd Annual Ditsala International Cup, helping vault Team HBCU to a first-place finish.

The three-day tournament in Gaborone, Botswana hosted teams from America and Africa, aiming to bring together local talent and visiting American players eager to help grow the game.

Team HBCU’s roster included three Spartans: senior Sydney McCree and juniors Catori Crawford and Kaden Sanders, along with 14 student-athletes across seven different HBCU’s in the country.

Landing at the US Embassy in Gaborone on May 30, the Spartans were greeted by Ditsala International Cup tournament ambassadors: Diertr Collins Parker and Logan Tom, along with the President of the Botswana Volleyball Federation: Tsoseletso Magang.

On day one of the tournament, Team HBCU defeated both the Lesotho Juniors (25-6, 25-14, 25-22) and the Zambia Seniors (28-26, 30-28, 25-23) in 3-0 sweeps. 

Day two began with the teams participating in a school volleyball clinic at Ledumang Primary School before taking a trip to Mokolodi Nature Reserve, a game reserve in southern Botswana.

Team HBCU would then go on to defeat both the Botswana Juniors (25-8, 25-7, 25-6) and Botswana Seniors (25-22, 25-18, 25-17) in 3-0 dominating victories.

On the final day of the tournament, Team HBCU faced Bring It Promotions (BIP), defeating them 2-1 (25-17, 25-23, 12-25). Team HBCU finished first in the final rankings, winning the Ditsala International Cup title.

The Vice President of Botswana, Ndaba Gaolathe, came to the closing ceremony to celebrate all the teams for their incredible performances throughout the tournament.

Final Rankings:

1st Place – HBCU

2nd Place – BIP

3rd Place – Zambia Seniors

4th Place – Botswana Seniors

5th Place – Lesotho Juniors

6th Place – Botswana Juniors

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