NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk State renews a 30-year-old CIAA rivalry Tuesday when it hosts Bowie State at Gill Gymnasium, with Gabrielle Gilbert one point away from the second program record of her senior season. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
MATCH INFORMATION
Vs. Bowie State | Tuesday, Sept. 15 | 6 p.m. | Gill Gymnasium
Fans can purchase tickets through the Norfolk State athletics ticket office website and follow the action through live stats on the Norfolk State athletics website.
GILBERT MAKES HISTORY
Gabrielle Gilbert became Norfolk State's all-time career kills leader last weekend at the UNCW Hampton Inn University Invitational, passing Charlotte Armstead's program record of 1,177 that had stood since 2012. The senior piled up 38 kills across three matches in Wilmington and now sits at 1,214 for her career.
A second program record is within reach Tuesday. Gilbert enters the match with exactly 1,399.5 career points, tying Armstead's all-time mark. A single point — one kill, one ace or one solo block — would give Gilbert sole possession of that record as well.
Gilbert also owns the program record for career attack attempts, a total she has pushed to 3,278, and now ranks 10th in school history with 116 career service aces. She holds the single-season school records for kills (408 in 2024), kills per set (4.04 in 2024), attack attempts (1,193 in 2025), points (473.0 in 2024) and points per set (4.68 in 2024). A three-time All-MEAC First Team selection, Gilbert was the 2023 MEAC Rookie of the Year and the 2024 VaSID State Player of the Year.
ABOUT THE SPARTANS
Norfolk State is 2-6 after going winless at the UNCW Hampton Inn University Invitational, falling to host UNC Wilmington and Harvard in four sets each on Friday before dropping a three-setter to UNC Asheville on Saturday. Tuesday marks the Spartans' first home match since Sept. 8.
Gilbert leads Norfolk State with 102 kills (3.40 per set) and a team-high 123.0 points while hitting .208. Kyleigh Moore ranks second with 70 kills, followed by Isis Castille with 38, Ava Berry with 30 and Catori Crawford with 29. Berry leads all regulars with a .379 hitting percentage.
Nehir Erimez directs the offense with 134 assists (4.47 per set), while Jasmine Mataira has 96. Jazeli Vandenburgh reached the century mark in digs at the tournament and leads the Spartans with 100 (3.33 per set), followed by Gilbert with 50 and Erimez with 42.
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST AT THE SERVICE LINE
Norfolk State ranks second in Division I in service aces per set at 2.70, trailing only UNC Asheville (3.08), with Harvard third at 2.64 — meaning the top three teams in the country all met at the UNCW Hampton Inn University Invitational last weekend.
The Spartans also rank fifth nationally in total aces with 81, a total they have compiled in 30 sets, fewer than any other team in the top 10. MEAC rival Delaware State sits fourth with 84, giving the conference two of the nation's top five.
Jazeli Vandenburgh leads Norfolk State with 17 aces, while Gabrielle Gilbert and Jasmine Mataira have 16 apiece and Briana Ellis has 15. The Spartans posted a season-high 25 aces in the five-set win over Hampton on Sept. 2.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Bowie State enters at 2-2 and will play its first match in 17 days. The Bulldogs opened at the Fairmont State Classic on Aug. 28-29, splitting both days with a five-set win over East Stroudsburg and a four-set victory over Lees-McRae around sweeps at the hands of host Fairmont State and Anderson (S.C.).
A Division II program competing in the CIAA, Bowie State went 14-18 overall and 9-7 in league play in 2025 before reaching the semifinals of the CIAA Championship. The Bulldogs were picked sixth in this year's CIAA preseason poll and are led by Edric Poitier, who is in his fifth season as head coach.
Bowie State returns nine players from last season and added transfer setter Gabby Hale, a First Team All-CIAA selection at Bluefield State in 2025 who was named to the 2026 Preseason All-CIAA Team after arriving in Bowie. Tuesday's match is the Bulldogs' final non-conference road date before they open CIAA play at home against Virginia State on Sept. 21.
SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday's match is the first meeting between Norfolk State and Bowie State in 30 years. The Spartans are a perfect 17-0 all-time against the Bulldogs, with all 17 meetings coming during Norfolk State's Division II era as CIAA rivals. The most recent matchup was a straight-set Norfolk State win at the 1996 CIAA Tournament.
UP NEXT
The Spartans head to the Radford Tournament on Friday, Sept. 18, opening against Bellarmine at 10 a.m. before facing host Radford at 7 p.m. Norfolk State closes the weekend against UT Chattanooga on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 1 p.m.
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.
