NORFOLK, Va. – After cruising through the first two sets, the Spartans found themselves with their backs against the wall after Morgan State tied the match up with some offensive firepower.
Staring down the possibility of the Bears completing a huge comeback, the Norfolk State volleyball team instead took control in the final set for a 3-2 victory Thursday night at Joseph Echols Hall.
NSU was in complete control early on in the MEAC Northern Division matchup, winning the first two sets 25-15 and 25-10. The Spartans were so far ahead in the second set that interim head coach Brandon Duvall had his bench finish things off.
Morgan State, though, began to attack the middle of the net and found plenty of success. After hitting in the negative in the first two sets, the Bears hit better than .200 in the third and fourth stanzas, winning 25-21 and 25-15.
The Spartans (6-11, 2-1 MEAC) came out with energy in the fifth set and made an early lead stand up in winning that final stanza, 15-11.
Senior Goda Jankauskaite carried the NSU offense to the tune of 24 kills on a .396 attack percentage. Senior Coralie Jarema was the next closest player with nine kills.
The duo combined for nine kills and zero attack errors in the final set to help NSU finally complete the win. The Spartans won five of the first seven points of the fifth set, and then held a 7-4 lead after a block by Jarema and sophomore Janay Frazier.
Morgan State (5-11, 0-3) cut the deficit to one, 9-8, but NSU won the next two points to force a timeout by the Bears. Jankauskaite had three more kills after that point, and Morgan State was unable to get any closer than two points the rest of the way.
NSU dominated the start of the match, winning six straight at one point early in the first set thanks to numerous Morgan State errors. Up 11-4, the Spartans continued to press, and Jankauskaite had two kills during a 5-0 run that pushed NSU’s lead to 18-7. Duvall called timeout after Morgan State went on a 7-2 run, but NSU’s lead ended up being too much for the Bears.
A couple of service aces from sophomore Jessica Johnson got NSU going in the second set. Up 8-7, the Spartans turned it on, finishing the second set on a 17-3 run. Numerous players chipped in along with way, including freshman Sydney Dailey and redshirt junior Kylee Thiim late in the set.
NSU hit .550 in the second set and .365 over the first two sets, while Morgan State attacked at a combined -.125 clip in the first two stanzas. Norfolk State finished the match with a .164 attack percentage, compared to .115 for the Bears.
Calling timeout down 5-2 in the third, Norfolk State won seven straight points to take a four-point lead, 9-5. The Bears chipped away, getting to within one on a couple of occasions. Down 18-15, Morgan State exploited a weakness in the NSU defense, winning seven straight points and then finishing the set a short time later.
Tied at 9-9 in the fourth, the Bears continued to attack. Morgan State won two, three or even four straight points to every one point for NSU, and by the end the Spartans found themselves tied 2-2 in the match after dropping the fourth set by a 10-point margin.
Redshirt junior Noelle Eagles had 23 digs to lead all players, while sophomore Darcy Moore added 11 digs and 42 assists and four kills.
Zuri Smith led Morgan State with 12 kills and six blocks, while Janelle Wilson added 11 kills. Samantha Prescott and Tamara Leslie helped lead Morgan State’s comeback with their play in the backcourt. Prescott totaled 18 digs, and Leslie added 15.
Morgan State had an 11-4 advantage in blocks.