NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk State dropped two straight sets in the middle of the match, then answered with a 25-23 fourth and a dominant fifth to beat NC Central 3-2 (25-16, 23-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-10) on Thursday night in front of 214 at Gill Gymnasium on the program's annual Pink Out night.
Gabrielle Gilbert hammered 25 kills and finished with 29.0 points, adding three service aces and six digs. Kyleigh Moore posted a double-double with 15 kills and 13 digs for 16.5 points.
The Spartans (6-12, 2-3 MEAC) hit .286 for the match and out-killed the Eagles (4-12, 2-3 MEAC) 58-52 while out-blocking them 8.0-7.0. NC Central served 13 aces to Norfolk State's nine.
Jasmine Mataira handed out 44 assists with three kills, two aces and seven digs, and Jazeli Vandenburgh led all players with 14 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (NSU 25-16): Norfolk State was nearly flawless, hitting .556 with 15 kills and no attack errors. Gilbert opened the match with a service ace and the teams traded points through an 8-7 NC Central lead before the senior took over at the service line, running off six straight points — two aces, a Castille-Chisholm block and a Chisholm block among them — to flip the set to 13-8. The Eagles got back within 14-13, but a Kyleigh Moore kill and a Moore ace restored the cushion at 18-13. Mataira then delivered three consecutive kills from the setter position for a 22-15 lead, and the Spartans finished on three in a row, with a Gilbert kill, a Mataira ace and a Shalyn Bell attack error ending it.
Set 2 (NCCU 25-23): The Eagles took the first three points and pulled away as Bell served four in a row, including two aces, for an 8-1 lead. NC Central stretched it to 16-7 before Norfolk State began chipping away — Castille and Reagan Chisholm supplied kills, Gilbert added another and a Catori Crawford ace sparked a three-point run that cut it to 19-16. Trailing 22-18, the Spartans scored four straight on a Gilbert kill, a Mataira ace and a Castille-Chisholm block to tie it at 22, and another Gilbert kill knotted it at 23. NC Central took the final two points on a Talia Emmen kill and a Norfolk State attack error.
Set 3 (NCCU 25-21): Norfolk State opened a 6-3 lead on a Gilbert-Berry block, but NC Central answered with three in a row, including a Talia Emmen ace, to square it at 6. The Eagles edged ahead and built a 15-11 cushion, then pushed it to 18-13. The Spartans responded by taking five of the next six — a pair of Gilbert kills, a Chisholm-Castille block and two Shalyn Bell attack errors — to get within 19-18, and after falling behind 21-18 they scored three straight on a Vandenburgh ace and another Bell attack error to tie it at 21. NC Central closed on a 4-0 run that included an Allyson Rouse ace and two more Emmen kills.
Set 4 (NSU 25-23): Facing elimination, Norfolk State opened with kills from Gilbert and Moore and stayed with the Eagles through a 6-6 tie before Tabitha Newlin served back-to-back aces for an 8-6 NC Central lead. The Spartans answered each push — a Crawford ace and a Moore-Berry block pulled them even at 6, a Gilbert kill and a Crawford kill squared it at 11, and a Berry kill tied it at 13. After a Berry-Castille block put Norfolk State in front, the Eagles pulled level again at 14. The Spartans then rattled off three in a row on a Moore kill, a Berry-Gilbert block and a Berry kill to lead 17-14, pushed the margin to 19-17 on another Gilbert kill, and closed it out to force a fifth. Norfolk State hit .313 in the set.
Set 5 (NSU 15-10): NC Central scored the first three points and led 9-6 before Norfolk State took over. Trailing 9-7, the Spartans reeled off six consecutive points with Mataira serving — three of them on Gilbert kills, plus a Castille kill and a Bell attack error — to turn the deficit into a 13-9 lead. Gilbert finished with six kills in the set, and a Breylan Fairley ball-handling error and a Bell attack error closed it out. Norfolk State hit .292 in the decider and held the Eagles to six kills and a .130 mark.
SPARTAN STANDOUTS
Ava Berry hit .417 with six kills and four block assists, and Castille added six kills and four block assists of her own. Chisholm chipped in 2.5 blocks, and Crawford had two aces and seven digs.
Emmen led all Eagles with 22 kills at .377 and 25.0 points for NC Central, adding 12 digs. Bell finished with 13 kills, five aces and 14 digs, and Breylan Fairley distributed 45 assists.
UP NEXT
Norfolk State is back in Gill Gymnasium on Friday, Oct. 9, hosting SC State at 6 p.m. 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.
