Norfolk State University Athletics

WILMINGTON, N.C. — Gabrielle Gilbert rewrote the Norfolk State record book Friday, becoming the program's all-time career kills leader in the opening match of the UNCW Hampton Inn University Invitational at Hanover Hall. The senior piled up 31 kills over two matches, but the Spartans dropped a pair of four-set decisions, falling to host UNC Wilmington 3-1 (27-25, 16-25, 21-25, 21-25) at noon and to unbeaten Harvard 3-1 (8-25, 25-14, 22-25, 19-25) in the evening.

Gilbert entered the day with 1,176 career kills, one shy of the 1,177 Charlotte Armstead compiled from 2009-12. She tied the mark in the first set against the Seahawks with a kill that pulled Norfolk State within 11-8, then claimed the record outright on a Jazeli Vandenburgh set to even the frame at 14-14. She followed it on the very next rally with another kill to put the Spartans ahead 15-14.

Gilbert closed the day with 1,207 career kills. She also owns the Norfolk State record for career attack attempts.

Norfolk State fell to 2-5 on the season.

MATCH 1: UNC WILMINGTON 3, NORFOLK STATE 1 (25-27, 25-16, 25-21, 25-21)

The Spartans took a wild opening set 27-25 before the Seahawks (4-4) answered with three straight. Norfolk State hit .230 with 41 kills and posted 7.0 team blocks to UNCW's 6.0, but the hosts finished at .323 behind 59 kills and won the serving battle 11-5 in aces.

Gilbert led all Norfolk State hitters with 16 kills on .382 swinging and added a team-high eight digs, an ace and 17.0 points.

Set 1 (NSU 27-25): Gilbert opened the match with an ace, but UNCW built an 11-7 lead and still led 14-12 before the Spartans took control. Norfolk State went on an 11-5 surge to lead 23-19, with Gilbert's record-breaking kills and two kills and a block from Ava Berry leading the way. The Seahawks scored four straight to tie it at 23 and reached set point at 25-24, but Reagan Chisholm stuffed Gaby Zovko to even the score, a UNCW attack error put NSU in front, and Catori Crawford finished it with a kill off a Jasmine Mataira set.

Set 2 (UNCW 25-16): Morgan Esmie served back-to-back aces for a 4-2 UNCW lead, and Elaina Murphy later served four straight points, including two aces, to turn an 11-7 edge into 15-7. The Seahawks hit .375 and recorded five aces in the frame. Facing a 24-12 deficit, Norfolk State saved four set points on a Gilbert kill and three straight points with Nehir Erimez at the service line, two aces and a Berry block, before Nadia Wasilewski closed it out.

Set 3 (UNCW 25-21): UNCW scored the first three points and hit .630 in the set. The Spartans tied it 4-4 on a Crawford-Chisholm block and answered a 12-7 deficit with three straight points to get within 12-10. Norfolk State pulled within two again at 20-18 before the Seahawks closed on a 5-3 run.

Set 4 (UNCW 25-21): The fourth set featured seven ties. The Spartans led 4-3 on a Vandenburgh ace and 7-5 after a Gilbert kill, and Gilbert's kill tied it for the final time at 11-11. UNCW scored the next three points and led the rest of the way as Norfolk State hit .036.

Spartan standouts: Kyleigh Moore added nine kills, an ace, five digs and 10.5 points. Berry was efficient at the net with six kills on nine errorless swings (.667) and 3.0 blocks, including two solo stops. Chisholm hit .600 with three kills and 2.0 blocks. Erimez handed out 20 assists with two aces and four digs, while Mataira added 13 assists and six digs and Vandenburgh recorded six digs.

For UNCW, Wasilewski led all players with 15 kills on .458 hitting, and Meredith Keefer added 14. Courtney Graham hit .643 with nine kills and four block assists, and Zovko posted 43 assists and 11 digs.

MATCH 2: HARVARD 3, NORFOLK STATE 1 (25-8, 14-25, 25-22, 25-19)

In the first meeting between the programs, Norfolk State answered a lopsided opening set with a dominant second and pushed the unbeaten Crimson (5-0) into the closing stretch of both the third and fourth.

Gilbert led the Spartans with 15 kills and 17.5 points and added two aces and six digs. Norfolk State hit .171 for the match to Harvard's .267, and the Crimson out-aced the Spartans 15-12 despite the visitors' 12 service aces.

Set 1 (Harvard 25-8): Mataira's ace tied the set at 4-4, but Harvard reeled off five straight points and never looked back, hitting .556 without an attack error. Bridget Egan served consecutive aces in an 11-5 stretch, and Sofia Rossi served four of the final five points with two aces to close it.

Set 2 (NSU 25-14): Gilbert took over at the service line with the set tied 1-1, delivering four straight points that included a kill of her own, an Isis Castille kill, a Ryleigh Patterson attack error and an ace for a 5-1 lead. Norfolk State pulled away from 7-6 on a three-point Mataira run, and Gilbert added three straight kills in a 15-10 stretch. Mataira served another ace at 19-13, and Kaden Sanders served out the final three points as the Spartans held Harvard to minus-.034 hitting.

Set 3 (Harvard 25-22): The Crimson led 1-7 and 4-12 before Norfolk State mounted its rally. Erimez served an ace at 7-12, and Vandenburgh later served four consecutive points, two aces, a Gilbert kill and a Harvard ball-handling error, to square the set at 18-18. A Gilbert kill tied it again at 20 and a Jala Dixon-Briana Ellis block put the Spartans ahead 21-20, but Harvard scored four of the last five points, finishing on a Rossi ace.

Set 4 (Harvard 25-19): Ali Farquhar opened with three straight kills and Rossi's back-to-back aces stretched the Harvard lead to 7-1. Vandenburgh answered with consecutive aces and Mataira and Sanders each added one as Norfolk State cut the deficit to 9-10. The Crimson pushed back ahead 11-17 behind two more Rossi aces, and although the Spartans got within 19-23 on an Erimez ace, Harvard closed it out on a Farquhar kill.

Spartan standouts: Moore hit .375 with seven kills, Castille added six and Berry went 3-for-3 for a 1.000 clip. Vandenburgh led the Spartans with nine digs and four aces, Sanders recorded eight digs, Erimez dished 18 assists with seven digs and two aces, and Mataira added 13 assists, five digs and three aces.

Rossi paced Harvard with 18.0 points on eight kills, a match-high 10 aces and eight digs. Farquhar led the Crimson with 12 kills at .360, Kayla Nwabueze added nine at .389, and Patterson recorded 5.0 blocks. Sophia Wei distributed 23 assists.

• Gilbert has reached double figures in kills in all seven matches this season.
• Norfolk State recorded 17 service aces across the two matches. The Spartans entered the weekend leading Division I in aces per set.
• UNC Wilmington now leads the all-time series 7-1. Friday's match was the first meeting between Norfolk State and Harvard.

UP NEXT

Norfolk State closes the tournament against UNC Asheville on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 11 a.m. at Hanover Hall. The Spartans return home to Gill Gymnasium to host Bowie State on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m.

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