DURHAM, N.C. — Norfolk State twice stood a point from taking the opening set, but NC Central won it 27-25 and never looked back, completing a 3-0 sweep (27-25, 25-12, 25-17) on Sunday afternoon at McDougald-McLendon Arena.
The Eagles (8-17, 6-7 MEAC) hit .391 for the match with just seven attack errors on 92 swings and served 14 aces, seven of them from Tabitha Newlin. Talia Emmen led all players with 15 kills at .522.
Norfolk State (10-16, 6-7 MEAC) was held to .139 and 28 kills and was out-blocked 8.0-1.0. Kyleigh Moore led the Spartans with six, while Ava Berry went 5-for-5 without an error and Jala Dixon added five kills in her lone set of work. Aliyah Torres paced the defense with 12 digs and Jasmine Mataira handed out 22 assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (NCCU 27-25): Gabrielle Gilbert opened the match with back-to-back aces and Norfolk State built a 10-4 lead behind a four-point Moore service run that included an ace of its own. The Spartans still led 14-11 when Newlin stepped to the line and served four consecutive aces to flip the set. From there it went back and forth: a Reagan Chisholm kill tied it at 20, a Torres ace made it 23-22, and Norfolk State reached set point twice, at 24-23 and again at 25-24 on a Moore kill. NC Central answered both times and closed it out on an Emmen ace and a Shalyn Bell kill.
Set 2 (NCCU 25-12): Tied at 7, the Eagles took control as Lusiana Damuni served six straight points, including an ace and three Norfolk State attack errors, for an 18-8 lead. The Spartans hit .038 in the frame with six kills and five errors, and Newlin ended it with consecutive aces.
Set 3 (NCCU 25-17): Newlin served four points to open a 7-1 NC Central lead. Dixon gave the Spartans a lift off the bench with three kills in a stretch that cut the deficit to 12-8, and Norfolk State got within 15-11 on another Dixon putaway. The Eagles pulled away from there, with a Hailey Gibbons ace making it 21-14, and a Morgan Wingo solo block ended the match.
SPARTAN STANDOUTS
Berry was perfect at the net with five kills on five swings. Dixon finished with five kills at .375 in one set. Mataira added two kills and seven digs alongside her 22 assists, and Gilbert contributed two aces and six digs.
For NC Central, Emmen added seven digs to her 15 kills for 16.5 points. Kayla Riley hit .364 with nine kills, Bell had seven kills, four aces and eight digs, and Wingo hit .545 with six kills and three solo blocks. Damuni and Breylan Fairley combined for 36 assists.
UP NEXT
Norfolk State closes the regular season at Howard on Friday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. The MEAC Volleyball Championship follows in Baltimore from Nov. 20-22.
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