The Lady Spartans (2-6) beat the North Carolina Central Eagles (1-9) in straight sets at Gill Gymnasium on September 22. This is the first game the Spartans have won against the Eagles since 2017.
“They beat us twice last year and it’s a rivalry, so the girls were excited about playing North Carolina Central,” said NSU Volleyball Head Coach, Kathy Bullock.
The Spartans got the first point of the first set with a kill by outside hitter Gabrielle Gilbert, assisted by setter Sydney McCree. Followed right after was a service ace by McCree. The Eagles got their first point of the set with a kill by outside hitter Emmie Modlin, assisted by setter Bella Dearinger.
Spartans kept the lead over the Eagles until a service ace by Isa Dostal broke the tie, making the score 6-7 with the Eagles leading.
Both teams took turns scoring while keeping the game within three points. The Spartans went on an 11-1 scoring run which led them to winning the set, ending the score 25-19.
“We can’t play like the other team, we have to play like ourselves, as long as we’re playing our tempo, then we’re good,” Coach Bullock said.
The Spartans started the 2nd set with a serve from McCree, but the Eagles got the first point of the set with a kill by outside hitter Kamren Harper.
Gilbert got the first point for the Spartans in the second set with a kill then got a service ace right after, giving the Spartans the lead with the score 2-1.
The Eagles got a lead later in the set with an 8-0 run, including three kills by middle blocker Amarah Johnson, one service ace by Dearinger, and two attacking errors by the Spartans. The Spartans worked their way back, going on small scoring runs, and winning the set 26-24 with a kill by Adlene Jideofor.
“We have to stay consistent, we have to keep making sure that we stay focused on the game and our preparation,” Coach Bullock said.
The Eagles started the third set strong, going on a 3-0 run, with the first point of the game with a kill by Harper. The Spartans then went on their own 3-0 run with their first point of the set from a service error by Dearinger.
The teams took turns taking the lead until the momentum of the game was with the Spartans. They went on an 11-3 run, winning both the third set and the game 25-16.
Spartans outside hitter Shonte Seale had 11 digs and 13 kills throughout the game. Gilbert was right behind her with 10 digs and 11 kills, and McCree had 31 assists overall. Eagles’ defensive specialists Loren Johnson had 17 digs with Harper having 9 kills and Dearinger with 24 assists the entire game.
“It’s always good to start off winning, we know what we can do, and we’re able to execute the things that we practice outside of the games,” Coach Bullock said.
Norfolk State takes on the South Carolina Bulldogs (0-13) this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Gills Gymnasium.
Spartan Echo 