Norfolk State hits .333, serves 12 aces and evens its MEAC record
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk State hit .333 and got double-digit kills from both Gabrielle Gilbert and Kyleigh Moore in a 3-0 sweep of SC State (25-10, 25-20, 25-21) on Friday night in front of 450 at Gill Gymnasium.
Gilbert finished with 11 kills at .320 to go with three service aces and six digs for 14.0 points. Moore matched her with 11 kills and hit .417, adding seven digs and 12.5 points.
The Spartans (7-12, 3-3 MEAC) served 12 aces to the Bulldogs' six and out-dug them 39-26 while holding SC State (4-16, 0-5 MEAC) to .094. It is Norfolk State's second straight win and fourth in its last six matches.
Jasmine Mataira handed out 34 assists and Jazeli Vandenburgh led all players with 14 digs and four aces.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (NSU 25-10): The Spartans were close to perfect, hitting .500 with nine kills and no attack errors. Reagan Chisholm and Moore opened the match with kills, and Vandenburgh then served five straight points — two of them aces — to put Norfolk State ahead 8-1. Catori Crawford followed with a four-point service run capped by an ace for a 13-2 lead, and a three-point Aliyah Torres run that ended with another ace made it 19-4. Moore closed the set with a kill.
Set 2 (NSU 25-20): Norfolk State scored the first four points, with Gilbert serving three of them including an ace. SC State answered with four in a row to get within 6-5, but a Torres service run pushed the margin back to 12-7 and a Gilbert kill made it 15-10. The Bulldogs crept within 21-20 on a Hedia Lewis ace before the Spartans closed on a 4-0 run, with Gilbert delivering a kill and then serving the final three points, among them a Isis Castille-Chisholm block.
Set 3 (NSU 25-21): The tightest set of the night featured eight ties. Level at 19, Jordan Dalland served back-to-back aces to give SC State a 20-19 lead, its only advantage of the second half of the set. Norfolk State answered by taking six of the last seven points — a Chisholm kill, two Kenna Harris attack errors, a Gilbert ace and a Moore kill — and Vandenburgh ended the match with an ace.
SPARTAN STANDOUTS
Chisholm was efficient in the middle, hitting .833 with five kills on six swings and adding two block assists. Ava Berry contributed six kills and Castille four with two block assists. Crawford finished with two aces and seven digs, and Torres added two aces.
Five different Spartans served aces. Kenna Harris led SC State with eight kills and 10.0 points, while Carra Pierre-Louis added six. De'Oni McPhearson recorded five block involvements and Arianna James distributed 12 assists.
UP NEXT
Norfolk State stays home to host Howard on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 6 p.m. in Gill Gymnasium. The match streams on the MEAC Network.
For complete coverage of Norfolk State Athletics, follow the Spartans on social media at @nsuspartans (X/Twitter), /NorfolkStateAthletics (Facebook), @NSUAthletics (Instagram) and @nsuathletics (YouTube), or visit the official home of Norfolk State Athletics at nsuspartans.com.
