NORFOLK, Va., Oct. 11, 2021—Norfolk State sophomore Paola Matos was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Volleyball Player of the Week, presented by Coca-Cola, the conference office announced today. Norfolk State’s Caris Cross was named both and Setter of the Week, while Norfolk State senior Nicole Rodriguez was named Defensive Player of the Week.
 
Matos (5-11, So., OPP, Fajardo, Puerto Rico) hit .462 in two matches as the Spartans recorded wins over preseason favorite Coppin State and Morgan State and averaged 3.4 kills per set. In Friday’s match against Coppin State, Matos hit .684, going error-free in 19 swings as she recorded 13 kills and totaled four blocks. Against Morgan State on Sunday, she had 14 kills and a service ace, hitting .333, and she had six kills in the final set, including match point.
 
Cross (5-11, Fr., S, Lambertville, Mich.) averaged 9.9 assists per set in quarterbacking a Spartans offense that picked up wins over Coppin State and Morgan State this past weekend. She opened the weekend with 36 assists, four kills, four digs and two service aces, before turning in a 43-assist, 8-dig, 3-block, 2-ace effort on Sunday against Morgan State.
 
Rodriguez (5-5, Sr., L, Kissimmee, Fla.) averaged 4.5 digs per set for the Spartans, matching her season high with 24 digs (the third-highest total in the MEAC this season) on Sunday against Morgan State. She opened the weekend with a 12-dig effort in a four-set win over MEAC preseason favorite Coppin State.
 
Other Top Performers
Miajavon Coleman (Coppin State) recorded a double-double against Howard, racking up 18 kills and 14 digs.
 
Asley Roman (Coppin State) had 23 digs against Howard.
 
Andrea Tsvetanova (Coppin State) racked up 39 assists and six digs against Howard.
 
Malgorzata Andersohn (Delaware State) recorded 22 assists, four digs and two service aces against North Carolina Central.
 
Karen Cordero (Delaware State) racked up 16 kills and hit .625 against North Carolina Central.
 
Jasmal Cruz (Delaware State) had 15 digs against North Carolina Central and 12 against South Carolina State.
 
Kelsie Dawson (Delaware State) recorded six kills against South Carolina State.
 
Essence Bell (Howard) racked up 31 digs against Coppin State.
 
Kayla Diaz (Howard) had 32 assists and six digs against Morgan State.
 
Alex Smith (Howard) had 12 kills and eight digs against Coppin State.
 
Tamar Wells (Howard) had five blocks against Coppin State and three against Morgan State.
 
Bria Woodard (Howard) had 13 kills and five digs against Coppin State.
 
Maya Hendricks (Maryland Eastern Shore) had 12 kills and seven digs against South Carolina State before turning in a 6-kill, 13-dig effort against North Carolina Central.
 
Madison Grace (Morgan State) had two double-digit kill efforts, recording 10 against Howard and 14 against Norfolk State.
 
Jadore Hayes (Morgan State) recorded 14 digs against Howard and 13 against Norfolk State.