DOVER, Del. — Norfolk State pulled even at 18 in the opening set and led midway through the second, but Delaware State closed both frames with a run and took a 3-0 decision (25-20, 25-19, 25-18) on Sunday afternoon at Memorial Hall.
Gabrielle Gilbert led all players with 17 kills, hitting .308 and finishing with 18.0 points to go with eight digs. She accounted for 63 percent of the Spartans' 27 kills.
Norfolk State (5-12, 1-3 MEAC) was held to .075 with 19 attack errors on 106 swings. The Hornets (12-6, 3-1 MEAC) hit .248 and won the dig battle 51-37. The two teams split 6.0 team blocks apiece.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (DSU 25-20): Jazeli Vandenburgh served four straight points to open a 5-1 Norfolk State lead, and a Kyleigh Moore ace made it 8-5. Delaware State answered with four in a row to go ahead, and the set stayed tight from there. A Vandenburgh ace tied it at 14 and a Moore ace knotted it at 18, with a Gilbert kill making it 19-19. The Hornets took six of the last seven points, closing on an Amanda Santos Juliao ace and a Norfolk State attack error.
Set 2 (DSU 25-19): The Spartans trailed 4-1 before working back to tie it at 7 and at 10, then took a 12-11 lead on a Gilbert kill. Santos Juliao's serve flipped it, with Delaware State scoring five straight — including an ace and three kills — for a 16-12 cushion the Spartans never erased. Norfolk State got no closer than three the rest of the way.
Set 3 (DSU 25-18): Tied at 7, Delaware State reeled off seven consecutive points, five of them with Courtney Nix serving and two coming on her aces, to lead 14-7. Kailia Phillips supplied two kills in the Spartans' push back to within 17-11, but the Hornets closed it out. Norfolk State hit .240 in the set, its best of the afternoon.
SPARTAN STANDOUTS
Vandenburgh led the defense with 10 digs and added an ace, while Moore served three aces and Jasmine Mataira handed out 17 assists with five digs. Reagan Chisholm recorded 2.0 blocks, and Catori Crawford and Ava Berry had 1.5 apiece.
Emma Patmon led Delaware State with 13 kills and 14.0 points. Aaliyah Mitchell hit .412 with nine kills and Duura Kpea added four kills and three solo blocks. Nix finished with three aces and a match-high 14 digs, and Paige Ahakuelo distributed 17 assists.
UP NEXT
Norfolk State returns home for back-to-back nights in Gill Gymnasium, welcoming NC Central on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 6 p.m. for the annual Pink Out breast cancer awareness match, with special guests from the Kay Yow Cancer Fund on hand. The Spartans then host SC State on Friday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m. Both matches stream on the MEAC Network.
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