Live Stats
NORFOLK, Va. – Riding a three-match win streak, the Norfolk State volleyball team will attempt to keep it going Sunday against Bethune-Cookman at 3 p.m. at Joseph Echols Hall.
Follow the live stats here if you can't make it to the Sunday matinee.
Already 2-1 in the MEAC, the Spartans carry an 8-14 overall record and will attempt to match the longest win streak over the last decade. NSU won four straight matches in 2008. The Spartans have won their last three matches by 3-0 sweeps over North Carolina A&T, Savannah State and South Carolina State.
The team is also chasing its most wins as a Division I program since NSU moved up in 1997. In 1999, NSU posted 11 wins throughout the season, the most since become a D-I institution. The volleyball program also had nine wins in both 1997 and 2009, and 10 wins in 1998 and 2008.
Helping lead the turnaround on the offensive side of the ball is freshman Arielle Knafel and sophomore Charlotte Armstead, who average 2.54 and 2.36 kills per set, respectively. Also pitching in are sophomore Ellica Morris (1.97), junior Jasmine Frazier (1.57) and redshirt sophomore Paige Gary-Canty (1.52), with junior Nicole Kessner sitting at 7.82 assists per set. Armstead also attacks at a team-high .207, while Kessner hits .300 as well.
Freshman Noelle Eagles leads the defensive effort as she averages 4.04 digs, with Knafel (2.91) and Gary-Canty (2.25) ranking second and third on the team. Frazier has a team-best 0.63 blocks per set, while Armstead stands second with 0.57.
As a team, NSU is holding opponents to a .176 attack percentage while hitting .107. The Spartans have the edge in kills per set (11.1-9.9) and digs (13.5-11.6), while opponents have totaled more blocks (2.1-1.3) and slightly more service aces (1.7-1.6).
A Temporary Home
Next week's matches against James Madison on Wednesday and North Carolina A&T Friday will be played at Gill Gymnasium. The match against North Carolina Central slated for Oct. 24, the day after football homecoming, will be at Echols Hall.
Better at Home
All of the above numbers jump when it comes to NSU at home (with a 'home-overall' stats format).
In kills: Knafel (2.97-2.54), Armstead (2.77-2.36), Gary-Canty (1.80-1.52), NSU (11.9-11.1)
In digs: Eagles (5.11-4.04), Knafel (3.31-2.91), Gary-Canty (2.54-2.25), NSU (16.3-13.5)
In assists: Kessner (8.54-7.82), NSU (10.9-10.1)
In attack percentage: Knafel (.082-.047), Armstead (.251-.207), Gary-Canty (.117-.053), NSU (.119-.107)
MEAC's Best
The Spartans rank second in the conference in opponent hitting percentage at .176 and in service aces with 1.56. NSU also stands third in assists (10.14), kills (11.15) and digs (13.47).
Individually, Eagles ranks fourth in digs (4.04) and Kessner stands fifth in assists (7.82). Knafel has her name in the top 10 as she comes into the weekend sixth in service aces (0.32) and digs (2.91) and seventh in points (3.03). Armstead is ninth in points with 2.98 pet set.
Where They Stand
Armstead needs just five kills to move into a tie for 10th all-time at NSU and two more block assists to move into eighth.
Kessner needs 59 more digs to move into eighth place in that category, and with 1,817 career assists, she has cut the magic number down to 154 needed to own the all-time record at NSU.
Several other players, including Eagles in digs, Kessner in service aces and kills, Frazier in block assists and Armstead in solo blocks, are also within shouting distance of NSU's career leader charts by the end of the season.
About Bethune-Cookman
The Wildcats broke an eight match losing streak with a 3-0 win over North Carolina A&T Friday, running their record to 5-19 overall and 1-2 in the MEAC.
At 2.46 kills per set, Jessica Wilson leads the Wildcat attack, with Krysta Gardner (2.19 kills) ranking second on the team. Alexis Bliese is in charge of distributing the ball as she averages 7.32 assists.
Jacqueline Woodyear leads the backcourt defense with 3.55 digs, with Jennifer Jimenez (2.52 digs), Janeen Davis (2.21) and Wilson (2.17) also adding to the effort. Sydney Smith carries a team-best 0.74 blocks per set.
As a team, Bethune-Cookman attacks at a .126 clip with 10.5 kills per set, while opponents are hitting .213 with 12.2 kills. B-CU also leads in service aces (1.6-1.5) and just trails in digs (13.6-13.2) and blocks (1.9-1.5).
Up Next
The Spartans will host non-conference opponent James Madison Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Gill Gymnasium with the contest serving as NSU's breast cancer awareness match.
