Gilbert posts 28 kills and 33.5 points; Norfolk State hits .340 and wins the last two sets
BALTIMORE, Md. — Jasmine Mataira surpassed 1,000 career assists with a career-high 56 on Friday night, and Norfolk State overcame a two-sets-to-one deficit to beat Morgan State 3-2 (25-18, 24-26, 27-29, 25-20, 15-11) at Hill Field House.
Gabrielle Gilbert turned in the biggest night of her season with 28 kills, hitting .367 with five service aces and 10 digs for 33.5 points. Kyleigh Moore added 19 kills at .386 and 19.5 points, and Briana Ellis chipped in 10 kills at .389.
The Spartans (8-14, 4-5 MEAC) turned in their best offensive night of the season, hitting .340 with just 15 attack errors on 153 swings and out-killing Morgan State (6-14, 5-3 MEAC) 67-65 while holding the Bears to .241. Aliyah Torres led all players with 19 digs and added two aces.
Norfolk State let a 23-21 lead slip away in the second set and led 23-20 in a third that went to 29-27, but opened the fourth with seven straight points and never trailed in the fifth.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (NSU 25-18): Morgan State scored the first three points before Gilbert's serve produced four straight, including an Ellis kill, for a 4-3 Norfolk State lead. The set stayed tight through a 12-12 tie before the Spartans pulled away, taking six of the next seven for an 18-13 cushion. A Torres ace made it 20-14, an Ellis ace pushed it to 22-15, and Gilbert ended the set with a kill.
Set 2 (MSU 26-24): Gilbert served three consecutive points — a kill of her own, a Reagan Chisholm-Ellis block and an ace — for a 14-10 lead. Morgan State answered with four in a row, among them a Hanna Nemeth ace, to level it at 14. Norfolk State nudged back ahead 23-21 on kills from Gilbert, Ellis and Moore, but the Bears took five of the last six points, with Michaela Panekova supplying the final kill.
Set 3 (MSU 29-27): Back-to-back Isabelle Brown aces put Morgan State up 16-12, and the Bears still led 20-18 before Gilbert took over at the line with five straight points — a kill, a Chisholm block, two aces and a Mataira kill — for a 23-20 Norfolk State lead. Panekova answered with consecutive aces to tie it at 23, and the set went to extra points. The Spartans saved four set points, tying it at 25, 26 and 27 on Moore kills and a Chisholm-Gilbert block, before Morgan State finally closed it out.
Set 4 (NSU 25-20): Facing elimination, Norfolk State opened with seven straight points on Gilbert's serve, getting a Moore kill, an ace and five Morgan State errors for a 7-0 lead. The Bears clawed back to tie it at 15, but a Torres ace put the Spartans back in front and a three-point Moore service run made it 22-17. Amari Chaney served the last two points, including an ace.
Set 5 (NSU 15-11): Tied at 11, Catori Crawford served four consecutive points to end the match — an ace, a Gilbert kill and two Morgan State attack errors.
SPARTAN STANDOUTS
Ava Berry was the most efficient hitter on the floor, going 5-for-8 without an error (.625) and adding 2.5 blocks with two solo stops. Chisholm hit .375 with three kills and 2.0 blocks. Mataira contributed eight digs and two kills alongside her 56 assists, and Crawford added seven digs and an ace.
Nemeth led Morgan State with 21 kills and 24.0 points, while Panekova finished with 18 kills, five aces and 23.0 points despite 12 attack errors. Jada Williams added 10 kills and eight digs, and Brown recorded 43 assists, three aces and nine digs.
NOTES
- Mataira's 56 assists were a career high, and she became the latest Spartan to reach 1,000 for her career. The Spartans' 61 team assists were a season high.
- Norfolk State's .340 attack percentage and 67 kills were both season bests.
- Gilbert's 28 kills and 33.5 points were season highs. She has reached double figures in kills in all but three matches this season.
- Norfolk State served 10 aces, five of them by Gilbert.
UP NEXT
Norfolk State travels to Maryland Eastern Shore for a 6 p.m. match on Friday, Oct. 30, in Princess Anne, Md. The Spartans beat the Hawks in four sets at Gill Gymnasium on Oct. 2 and will look to complete the season sweep.
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.
