NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk State dropped a 32-30 marathon in the opening set, then took the next three to beat Maryland Eastern Shore 3-1 (30-32, 26-24, 25-16, 25-11) on Friday night in front of 298 at Gill Gymnasium. It is the Spartans' first win over the Hawks since Nov. 1, 2024.
Gabrielle Gilbert led all players with 21 kills at .400 and finished with 27.0 points, adding four aces and 12 digs for her second consecutive double-double. The senior put up 16 kills and 13 digs in Wednesday's win at Hampton. Kyleigh Moore chipped in 11 kills and Catori Crawford added eight at .316 with eight digs.
Norfolk State (5-11, 1-2 MEAC) hit .319 with just 15 attack errors on 138 swings and dominated at the net, piling up 15.0 team blocks to UMES' 5.0. The Hawks (2-12, 1-2 MEAC) were held to .135.
Jasmine Mataira set a season high with 46 assists, her second straight match with at least 40 after dishing out 40 at Hampton.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (UMES 32-30): The Hawks opened a 10-3 lead before Norfolk State began chipping away, tying the set at 16 on a Reagan Chisholm kill and taking a 21-19 edge on back-to-back Gilbert kills. From there the teams traded points for 20 more rallies. The Spartans held five set points — at 24-23, 27-26, 28-27, 29-28 and 30-29 — and saved two of their own, but UMES closed it out on consecutive Norfolk State attack errors.
Set 2 (NSU 26-24): Gilbert opened with an ace and the Spartans built a 12-7 lead behind a four-point Moore service run and a Mataira ace. UMES rallied to tie it at 23 and again at 24, but a Hawks attack error and a Gilbert kill ended it.
Set 3 (NSU 25-16): Norfolk State never trailed, leading 6-3 and pushing the margin to 16-10 on a Chisholm kill. The Spartans then scored four straight for a 20-12 cushion, getting a Crawford kill, a Moore kill and a Chisholm block in the stretch. Gilbert finished the set with a kill.
Set 4 (NSU 25-11): The Spartans saved their best for last, hitting .600 with 15 kills and no attack errors. Tied at 3, Norfolk State scored three straight on kills from Moore, Mataira and Gilbert, then broke it open with Gilbert serving four consecutive points — an ace, a Crawford kill and two UMES attack errors — for a 13-7 lead. Moore later served four in a row, capped by an ace, to make it 21-10, and Aliyah Torres ended the match with back-to-back aces.
SPARTAN STANDOUTS
Ava Berry and Chisholm each recorded 5.5 blocks, with four solo stops apiece. Berry hit .778 with seven kills on nine errorless swings for 12.5 points, while Chisholm hit .500 with six kills and 11.5 points.
Jazeli Vandenburgh led the defense with 13 digs and added an ace, and Aliyah Torres served three aces.
Rayah Howell paced UMES with 14 kills and 16.5 points, and Shayla Henry added nine. Jayda Hutchins handed out 22 assists and Arianna Warner Torres led all players with 17 digs.
UP NEXT
Norfolk State stays in MEAC play with a trip to Delaware State on Sunday, Oct. 4. First serve is set for noon, with the match broadcast 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.
