NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State volleyball earned its first win of the 2025 season, sweeping Hampton in the "Battle of the Bay" (25-21, 25-16, 25-20) on Tuesday night at Gill Gymnasium.
 
Gabrielle Gilbert powered the Spartans' offense with 12 kills, followed by Reagan Chisholm with eight and Catori Crawford with seven. Gilbert, Mya Wood and Briana Ellis each served three aces, while Sydney McCree dished out 32 assists.
 
On defense, Paula Sigurani tallied nine digs to lead NSU, with McCree and Wood adding five each. Chisholm controlled the net with two blocks.
 
The Spartans hit a season-high .344 and held advantages in aces (11-6), assists (41-28) and digs (36-32).
 
Hampton jumped out to a 5-3 lead before McCree's kill tied the set at 7. The Pirates answered with a 6-1 run to go up 13-8, their largest lead of set one. Norfolk State responded with a 10-2 run to take control. Isis Castille capped the frame with three straight kills, pushing the Spartans ahead 23-20, before NSU closed out the set 25-21.
 
Norfolk State opened with a 3-0 run, starting with a Gilbert kill and back-to-back aces from Ellis. Hampton fought back to tie it at 7, but NSU broke away with a 6-0 surge for a 16-11 lead. The Spartans sealed the frame with a 9-4 run, including six straight points, to win 25-16.
 
The Spartans carried momentum into the third, building a 7-2 lead on a Gilbert ace. Hampton rallied with a 9-2 run to take its first lead at 11-9, but Norfolk State tied it at 15 on a Jasmine Mataria kill. NSU responded with a 5-1 stretch to grab a 21-19 edge and scored four of the last five points to finish the match with a 25-20 victory.
 
Norfolk State opens MEAC play on the road at Morgan State on Friday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m. The Spartans then face Coppin State on Sunday, Sept. 28, at 1 p.m. in Baltimore.
 

For complete coverage of Norfolk State Athletics, please follow the Spartans on social media at @nsuspartans (X/Twitter), /NorfolkStateAthletics (Facebook), @NSUAthletics (Instagram), @nsuathletics (YouTube) or visit the official home of Norfolk State Athletics at nsuspartans.com.