Norfolk State hits .307 and serves 15 aces in the Battle of the Bay
HAMPTON, Va. — Norfolk State hit .307 and served 15 aces to beat Hampton 3-1 (25-18, 25-19, 20-25, 25-18) on Wednesday night at Holland Hall, completing the season sweep of its rival and closing out non-conference play.
Gabrielle Gilbert and Kyleigh Moore each posted a double-double. Gilbert finished with 16 kills, 13 digs and 18.0 points, while Moore added 12 kills, 10 digs, four aces and 17.0 points. Isis Castille hit .364 with 10 kills.
Jasmine Mataira directed the offense with 40 assists and four aces, and Jazeli Vandenburgh anchored the back row with 25 digs and three aces. The Spartans (4-11, 0-2 MEAC) out-blocked the Pirates (2-12, 0-4 CAA) 6.0-1.0 and more than doubled them at the service line, 15-7.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (NSU 25-18): Hampton took an early 7-1 lead, forcing a Norfolk State timeout. Five of the first seven Pirate points came on kills, including two from Racquel Frazier. The Spartans regrouped and answered with six of the next seven points — three Moore kills, a Vandenburgh ace and a Reagan Chisholm block — to pull within 8-7. Norfolk State tied it at 12 on a Mataira ace and rolled from there, outscoring Hampton 9-1 to take a 21-13 lead behind five straight points on Mataira's serve.
Set 2 (NSU 25-19): Frazier's back-to-back aces put Hampton up 3-2, but Vandenburgh answered with four straight points of her own, including two aces and two Castille kills, for a 7-3 lead. The Spartans pushed the margin to 15-11 on consecutive Hampton attack errors and closed it out behind a Catori Crawford ace at 23-15 and a Jala Dixon kill on set point.
Set 3 (HU 25-20): Norfolk State led 14-13 before Frazier served Hampton on a 5-0 run that included two aces, giving the Pirates an 18-14 cushion. The Spartans got no closer than three the rest of the way as Katerina Pappa and Frazier combined for seven kills in the frame.
Set 4 (NSU 25-18): Tied at 13, Moore served consecutive aces to put Norfolk State ahead 16-13. A Mataira ace made it 19-16, and the Spartans closed on a decisive run with Gilbert serving, getting back-to-back blocks from Ava Berry and Crawford and then Moore and Berry, followed by kills from Crawford and Berry for a 24-17 lead. Berry ended the match with her third kill of the stretch.
SPARTAN STANDOUTS
Berry hit .429 with four kills and three block involvements, and Chisholm added four kills and three block involvements of her own. Crawford chipped in three kills, four digs and an ace.
Frazier led Hampton with 20 kills, five aces and 12 digs for 25.0 points, though she committed 12 attack errors and hit .140. Pappa was the Pirates' most efficient attacker at .462 with 18 kills. Ana Luiza Matos handed out 42 assists and Maria Clara Andrade posted 15 digs.
UP NEXT
Norfolk State returns to MEAC play on Friday, Oct. 2, hosting Maryland Eastern Shore at 6 p.m. in Gill Gymnasium.
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