ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Norfolk State dropped a 26-24 opener and a 25-23 fourth set but won the three in between, beating SC State 3-2 (24-26, 25-8, 25-16, 23-25, 15-10) on Friday night to complete the season sweep of the Bulldogs.
Gabrielle Gilbert led all players with 19 kills, and Kyleigh Moore added 13 at .323. Jasmine Mataira handed out 51 assists, her second 50-assist match in the last four.
The Spartans (10-15, 6-6 MEAC) hit .297 as a team and held SC State (6-22, 1-11 MEAC) to .149, out-killing the Bulldogs 58-55 while committing 12 fewer attack errors.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (SCSU 26-24): Neither team led by more than two the whole way. A Gilbert ace put Norfolk State up 17-15, and after SC State moved ahead 24-22, Gilbert delivered a kill and the Spartans tied it at 24. The Bulldogs took the last two points to steal the opener.
Set 2 (NSU 25-8): Norfolk State answered with its most lopsided set of the season. Briana Ellis served three straight, including an ace and a kill of her own, for an 8-2 lead, and Moore followed with a five-point run capped by a Gilbert kill to make it 14-3. Ellis returned to the line to close it out with four in a row, among them another ace and a Moore-Ava Berry block.
Set 3 (NSU 25-16): Tied at 7, Mataira served an ace to spark a two-point run, and Gilbert followed with four straight points on her serve — three SC State attack errors and a Reagan Chisholm-Moore block — for a 15-8 lead. Berry and Ellis added kills as the margin held, and Moore finished the set with a kill.
Set 4 (SCSU 25-23): Back-to-back Moore aces pushed Norfolk State ahead 8-3 before SC State answered with five in a row to take a 12-10 lead and later went up 17-13. The Spartans fought all the way back, getting a Catori Crawford ace at 17-16 and a Berry kill to tie it at 18, then three Gilbert kills to lead 21-20. The Bulldogs closed on a 5-2 run, with Kenna Harris supplying two kills.
Set 5 (NSU 15-10): Aliyah Torres served three consecutive points on SC State attack errors for a 4-1 Norfolk State lead. The Bulldogs twice got within one, but with the Spartans ahead 11-9, Gilbert served three straight — two Bulldog attack errors, one on a Chisholm-Ellis block, and a ball-handling error — to make it 14-9. The match ended on another SC State ball-handling error.
SPARTAN STANDOUTS
Ellis was the most efficient hitter on the floor, going 7-for-11 with one error (.545) in four sets. Chisholm hit .455 with seven kills and Berry added seven at .375. Crawford chipped in three kills.
Jessika Martinez and Carra Pierre-Louis each had 12 kills for SC State, and Arianna James ran the offense with 27 assists while hitting .667 with five kills. Macey McCoy added 14 assists.
NOTES
- Norfolk State improved to 5-1 in five-set matches this season, its only loss coming against UT Chattanooga on Sept. 19.
- The Spartans swept the season series from SC State after a 3-0 win at Gill Gymnasium on Oct. 9.
UP NEXT
Norfolk State continues its closing road swing at NC Central on Sunday, Nov. 8, with first serve set for 1 p.m.
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