NORFOLK, Va. - It has been more than a year since Norfolk State volleyball played an official match, but that will soon come to an end as the Spartans get set to begin their 2021 spring campaign this weekend. After the MEAC postponed fall sports to the spring this academic year due to COVID-19, NSU will have the chance to get back on the court more than 14 months after its last competition.
 
The Spartans will welcome a host of new players to their squad while navigating their upcoming 18-match schedule, which begins on Sunday with a home non-conference contest against George Mason. As a result of Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M opting out of the season, NSU will compete in the MEAC Southern Division this spring.
 
Just five of the 18 players who saw time on the court last year will return for this season. A total of 10 newcomers will help remake a roster that is looking to take a big step forward in head coach Kathy Bullock's second year in charge. In fact, those newcomers have already made their mark.
 
"We are much more competitive in practice. We are not as limited as we were last year," said Bullock. "You don't see that huge drop off as you get down the bench. That helps when you are looking for answers. Someone is capable of coming in and stepping up."
 
Several of those newcomers will play big roles for the Spartans this year, but several returning players can also help guide the way. Senior outside hitter Taylor Eichelberger and senior middle blocker Jannel Ezeagwu are NSU's two most experienced players. Ezeagwu averaged 1.14 kills and 0.56 blocks last year as one of the anchors in the middle. Eichelberger will look to get back into form after missing more than half of the 2019 campaign due to injury.
 
Sophomore Myleah Carter served as NSU's starting libero last year, and after averaging 3.35 digs per set, she will look to once again help anchor the team's backcourt defense. Despite a whole new roster that includes six freshmen among the 10 newcomers, there is plenty of upperclassmen experience for NSU to rely upon.
 
Three newcomers arrive from the junior college ranks. Nicole Rodriguez will be in contention to start in the backrow after serving as Daytona State College's starting libero the last two seasons. She averaged 5.49 digs as a freshman and earned NJCAA National Defensive Player of the Week honors in mid-September of that year. Setter Heliceliz Rivera, meanwhile, will look to take over that same role with NSU. She served as a jack of all trades at Frontier Community College, averaging 2.29 kills, 2.28 digs, 3.28 assists and 0.32 aces last year.
 
There is also experience up front for NSU along with Eichelberger and Ezeagwu. Senior outside hitter Rachel Williams compiled more than 900 kills in three seasons at Arkansas Fort Smith, twice earning all-conference honorable mention with the Lions. NSU's third junior college transfer, middle blocker Paola Maradei, was a two-time all-region honoree at Trinidad State. She averaged close to 1.40 blocks per set during her two seasons there.
 
Bullock is looking for those upperclassmen to serve as closers, an area the Spartans struggled with last year.
 
"We now have finishers. We had close games last year but we couldn't finish," Bullock said. "We have players who can put the ball away and can take control on offense or defense when it's crunch time."
 
Senior Jazmine Craig and sophomore Siera Jones are NSU's last two returners who saw action last year. Both are capable of playing in the backrow, and Craig has previous experience as a hitter in the Spartan offense. In addition, sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker Symone Thomas returns after redshirting last year.
 
Bullock brought in six freshmen to round out her roster. One of those six, lefty right-side hitter Paola Matos, has the ability to make an impact right away. Like Rodriguez and Rivera, Matos also grew up in Puerto Rico. She arrives at NSU after competing on the Puerto Rican U-18 National Team. She will be joined by two more rookies up front in California natives and middle blockers Kaia Brown and Anjola Thomas. Brown was a starter on the varsity team as a freshman, when her high school ranked as high as No. 10 in the nation. Thomas earned her league's MVP award her senior year.
 
Setter Jaida Bynum started all four years of high school and gives NSU another option at the position. Jurnee Stuckey, a Texas native, and Kalaya Brown, who hails from Arizona, provide more depth in the backcourt for NSU and give NSU more high school and club level experience from across the country.
 
Having almost a whole new team has brought about other positive changes around the program as well.
 
"Our volleyball IQ is higher, we can execute better, and we have a lot more positive energy," said Bullock. "We know how to win, and we have players who really want to win. Out on the court, they bring super high energy, great communication, and the ability to play a fast tempo, attacking offense."
 
The Spartans will play 12 of their 18 matches in-conference, with home-and-home series with North Carolina Central, North Carolina A&T, and South Carolina State. Each series will consist of two matches in two days on Thursdays and Fridays.
 
In addition to George Mason, NSU will also host VCU and Delaware State while taking trips to Old Dominion and UNC Wilmington as well as to Delaware State to complete that non-conference home-and-home series.