Volleyball | 11/2/2026 2:22:23 PM

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk State senior Gabrielle Gilbert, Delaware State's Courtney Nix and Duura Kpea, and Coppin State junior Eva Rovello headlined the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) weekly volleyball honors, the league office announced. 

Player of the Week: Gabrielle Gilbert | Norfolk State| Sr. | OH | Indianapolis, IN 
Gilbert had another strong offensive week for Norfolk State, making 38 kills over seven sets while averaging 5.43 kills and 5.79 points per set with a .435 hitting rate. She scored 22 kills on 33 attempts with only three mistakes, hitting .576 in the Spartans’ three-set win over Maryland Eastern Shore. She averaged 7.33 kills per set against UMES, adding seven digs and one assist, finishing with 23.0 points. She followed with 16 kills on a .306 hitting rate against Delaware State, adding three blocks and 17.5 points. Gilbert ended the two-match stretch with 40.5 total points, eight digs, three blocks and nine assists.

Rookie of the Week: Duura Kpea | Delaware State | Fr. | MB/RS | Melissa, Texas
Kpea was a strong presence at the net during Delaware State's 2-0 week, making 6 blocks in a 3-1 win over Howard and 6 blocks in a 3-1 win over Norfolk. The freshman ranks 4th in the conference with 1.00 blocks per set in conference play, the only freshman in the top 8. Duura also added 6 kills while playing middle blocker and right-side hitter in the two wins.

Setter of the Week: Eva Rovello | Coppin State | Jr. | S | Vigneux de Bretagne, France
Rovello recorded a double-double in the sweep of SC State; the team hit .400 in the match. The team hit .341 in the sweep of NC Central, with 4 aces and 6 blocks for the week. She had 13 kills on 17 attempts, with no errors.

Defensive Player of the Week: Courtney Nix | Delaware State | Sr. | L | Harrisburg, N.C. 
Nix helped Delaware State to a 2-0 week, extending their conference win streak to five. Nix led the Hornets' defense in both games, with a team-high 16 digs against Howard and 13 digs against Norfolk State. Nix also added 2 aces each game, bringing her yearly total to 46 aces, tied for 13th in the entire NCAA. Nix leads the Delaware State defense, which is ranked 8th in the NCAA in opponent hitting percentage (.147).

Other Top Performer 
Delaware State‘s Hannah Sanders Hit .500 for the week to help DSU extend its win streak to 5 matches, including errorless performances of 6 kills and 7 blocks vs. Howard and 9 kills/4 blocks vs. Norfolk State. She leads the conference in hitting percentage (.396).

Howard’s Addison Buckner posted back-to-back double-digit kill matches for the Bison with 13 against Delaware State and 10 in a sweep over UMES, while averaging 2.0 digs per set and chipping in a service ace.

About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) enters its 56th year of intercollegiate competition with the 2026–27 academic year. Headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, the MEAC is comprised of eight distinguished Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) along the Atlantic seaboard: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University, and South Carolina State University. Since its founding in 1970, the MEAC has been dedicated to promoting academic excellence, sportsmanship, and the personal growth of student athletes. For more information, visit www.MEACSports.com.