Georgetown	Charleston Southern	Clemson
Date/Time	Thursday, Sept. 18 | 11 AM	Thursday, Sept. 18 | 4 PM	Friday, Sept. 19 |   11 AM
Location	Clemson, S.C. |   Jervey Gym	Clemson, S.C. |   Jervey Gym	Clemson, S.C. |   Jervey Gym
TV/Streaming	N/A	N/A	ESPN+
Live Stats	StatBroadcast	StatBroadcast	StatBroadcast
All-Time Series	0-2 – 3rd Meeting	1-3 – 5th Meeting	0-0 – 1st Meeting
Social Media	Twitter - X  Instagram  Facebook	Twitter - X  Instagram  Facebook	Twitter - X  Instagram  Facebook

NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State volleyball team is set to hit the road for the Big Orange Bash, taking place Thursday and Friday, Sept. 18-19, in Clemson, S.C. Hosted by Clemson University, the tournament will see the Spartans square off against the Tigers, the Georgetown Hoyas, and the Charleston Southern Buccaneers. 

Norfolk State (0-9) heads into the weekend still in pursuit of its first win of the 2025 campaign. The Spartans showed grit at the Tribe Invitational last weekend, pushing both Liberty and William & Mary with resilient play and steady individual performances. 

Offensively, Gabrielle Gilbert continues to power the attack, leading the team with 102 kills. Senior setter Sydney McCree directs the offense with 191 assists, while Mary Nahinu (9 service aces) and Gilbert (8) provide threats from the service line. 

On defense, Nahinu and Mya Wood anchor the back row with 84 digs apiece, with McCree contributing 64. At the net, freshman Ava Berry leads the Spartans with 29.0 blocks, including 12.0 in last weekend's tournament. She is supported by Reagan Chisholm (14.0) and Gilbert (12.0). 

Senior setter Sydney McCree is climbing the NSU record books, closing in on the No. 2 spot for career assists. With 2,297 assists, she currently ranks third all-time, just 127 shy of tying Nicole Kessner's mark of 2,424 set in 2012. Darcy Moore (2012-15) holds the program record with 3,195 assists. McCree is also approaching the top 15 in career digs, needing 24 more to match Kessner's 579. 

  

Junior outside hitter Gabrielle Gilbert continues to rise on the career kills list, entering the weekend ranked fifth with 807. She sits just one kill behind Kami Jackson (1991-94) for fourth place and is chasing Kim Mumford's (1992-95) third-place total of 937. The all-time record belongs to Charlotte Armstead (2009-12), who tallied 1,177 kills. 

Georgetown (5-5) enters the weekend on a four-match win streak, all against Baltimore programs: Coppin State (3-1), Loyola Maryland (3-2), Morgan State (3-0), and UMBC (3-2). 

The Hoyas' offense is paced by Dionna Mitchell, who leads the team with 116 kills (2.97 per set). Samantha Soderlund (87 kills) and Maria Filippova (75) provide additional balance, while setters Juleigh Urbina (266 assists) and Matalie Nguyen (102 assists) share distribution duties. 

On defense, Mitchell (95 digs) and Jade Smith (92) anchor the back row, combining for nearly 200 digs. At the net, Kamryn Lee-Caracci leads the way with 26.0 blocks. 

Georgetown's most recent outing saw the Hoyas rally for a five-set reverse sweep over UMBC, winning the final frame 19-17. 

Charleston Southern (5-4) enters the weekend on a two-match win streak, picking up victories over Bethune-Cookman (3-2) and South Carolina State (3-0) during the Bash at the Beach tournament. 

The Buccaneers' attack is led by Skylar Yates, who has tallied 102 kills this season and also leads the team in service aces (14), while ranking second in digs (93). Emily Struckmeyer and Faith Burch add balance to the offense with 61 kills each. Setters Tristan Sutton (188) and Cara McLean (149) share distribution duties, combining for 337 assists. 

Defensively, Presley Morris anchors the back row with a team-high 170 digs, while at the net Emma Bednarek leads with 39 blocks, followed by Struckmeyer with 24. 

Most recently, the Buccaneers swept in-state rival South Carolina State in straight sets (25-21, 25-16, 25-19). 

Clemson (9-0) enters the weekend unbeaten, highlighted by marquee wins over South Carolina (3-2) and Georgia (3-1). 

The Tigers' offense is paced by Kennedy Wagner, who leads the team with 137 kills across 32 sets (4.28 per set). Mia McGrath (91) and Kate Hansen (77) provide balance to the attack. At setter, Katherine Sandt directs the offense with 339 assists, while also contributing 102 digs (second on the team) and eight service aces. 

Defensively, McKenna Gildon anchors the back row with a team-best 126 digs, while Nil Okur and Hansen add a strong presence at the net, each recording 21 blocks. 

In their most recent outing, Clemson was tested by Wofford but held on for a five-set victory (25-15, 25-13, 20-25, 24-26, 16-14). 

Norfolk State and Georgetown have met twice in program history, with the Hoyas holding a 2-0 advantage. The most recent contest came in 2018, when Georgetown claimed a straight-set victory. 

Thursday's matchup will be the fifth all-time meeting between Norfolk State and Charleston Southern. The Buccaneers lead the series 3-1, but the Spartans earned a straight-set win in the most recent meeting at the Buc Dome Invitational in 2024. 

Friday's contest against Clemson will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs.  

Norfolk State returns to Gills Gymnasium on Tuesday, Sept. 23, for its home opener against rival Hampton in the annual "Battle of the Bay", with first serve set for 6 p.m. The Spartans will then hit the road to begin MEAC play, opening conference action with matches at Morgan State, Coppin State, and Maryland Eastern Shore. 

For complete coverage of Norfolk State Athletics, please follow the Spartans on social media at @nsuspartans (X/Twitter), /NorfolkStateAthletics (Facebook), @NSUAthletics (Instagram), @nsuathletics (YouTube) or visit the official home of Norfolk State Athletics at nsuspartans.com.