BALTIMORE, Md. — Norfolk State answered a lopsided second set by taking the third and leading 20-18 in the fourth, but Coppin State closed the match on a 7-1 run to win 3-1 (25-18, 25-10, 20-25, 25-21) on Sunday afternoon in front of 333 at the Physical Education Complex.
Gabrielle Gilbert led all players with 16 kills, hitting .282 with two service aces for 18.5 points. Kyleigh Moore added nine kills and Aliyah Torres led the Spartans with 13 digs.
Norfolk State (7-14, 3-5 MEAC) out-blocked the Eagles 9.0-6.0 but was out-killed 52-38 and out-aced 11-7. Coppin State (16-7, 7-1 MEAC) hit .254 to the Spartans' .157.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (CSU 25-18): Cherisse Atilano served four straight points for a 6-2 Coppin State lead, and Pamela De Jesus Tejedor later ran off three in a row with two aces to make it 12-5. Gilbert kept the Spartans within range with four kills in the set, and a Briana Ellis ace cut the deficit to 21-16, but the Eagles closed it out.
Set 2 (CSU 25-10): The set turned on one service run. With Coppin State ahead 4-2, Eva Rovello served nine consecutive points — four Norfolk State attack errors, two aces and three kills — to make it 13-2. Norfolk State finished the frame at minus-.152 with five kills and 10 attack errors, and Rovello served the last three points as well.
Set 3 (NSU 25-20): Trailing 10-4, the Spartans found their footing behind Amari Chaney, who served five straight points that included an ace, two Gilbert kills and a Jasmine Mataira kill. A Reagan Chisholm kill tied it at 11 and a Mataira ace put Norfolk State ahead. The set stayed tight until Kaden Sanders served three in a row, capped by an ace, for a 19-17 lead. Gilbert closed it out with a kill and then four straight points on her serve, including a Chisholm-Catori Crawford block and a Moore kill.
Set 4 (CSU 25-21): Gilbert opened with a kill and an ace as Norfolk State jumped ahead 3-0 and later led 9-6. Coppin State answered with five in a row, three of them Kendall Minta kills, to go up 11-9. The Spartans fought back on blocks from Ava Berry and Ellis and a Berry kill, taking an 18-17 edge, and a Gilbert kill and ace made it 20-18. The Eagles then closed on a 7-1 run with Rovello serving five consecutive points, two of them aces.
SPARTAN STANDOUTS
Chisholm posted 3.0 blocks and Berry added 2.5 with four kills at .333. Ellis contributed three block assists and an ace. Mataira handed out 26 assists with six digs, while Sanders and Crawford each collected seven digs.
Atilano and De Jesus Tejedor paced Coppin State with 13 kills apiece for 15.0 points each. Minta hit .375 with eight kills and five block involvements, and Ivanna Luna added eight kills. Rovello finished with 40 assists, five aces and 12 digs, and Coco Figueroa led all players with 21 digs.
NOTES
- Mataira's 26 assists moved her within 14 of 1,000 for her career.
UP NEXT
Norfolk State remains on the road for a 6 p.m. match at Morgan State on Friday, Oct. 23, at Hill Field House in Baltimore. 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.
