title image via NIck Sutton
Maya Dawson, Asst. Director of Sports Communications, Nortolk State University
The Norfolk State volleyball team will host in-state rival Hampton University on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at Gill Gymnasium for the “Battle of the Bay” at 6 p.m.
The Spartans (2-6) and Pirates (0-10) face off in the 34th edition of the “Battle of the Bay” matchup that spans back to 2006.
Norfolk State will compete at home after five consecutive road matches that took it to Charlotte, N.C., Elon, N.C., and Blacksburg.
The Spartans competed in the Hokie Invitational from Sept. 13-14. Jordan Lyons collected All-Tournament team laurels totaling 31 kills, 45 digs, four assists, and three aces across three matches.
Lyons secured an 11-kill, 14-dig performance against UNC Greensboro for her first double-double of the season.
In the last meeting between both the Spartans and Pirates on Nov. 13, 2023, Norfolk State defeated Hampton in straight sets to break the Pirates’ eight match “Battle of the Bay” win streak.
LAST TIME OUT
- Norfolk State competed in the Hokie Invitational, falling to Virginia Tech (3-1), UNC Greensboro (3-0), and Cleveland State (3-1)
- Against Cleveland State on Sept. 14, the Spartans secured a team-high 65 digs behind double-digit dig performances from Jordan Lyons (16), Lily Rose-Pichon (19) and Jasmine Mataira (10)
SERIES HISTORY
- Hampton leads the all-time series over Norfolk State, 20-14
- Norfolk State took the last win of the series in straight set on Nov. 13, 2023
- The Spartans hold a 7-11 record against Hampton at home
- The Spartans’ win last season broke the Pirates’ eight-match win streak in the Battle of the Bay rivalry, spanning 2007-2022
PIRATE SCOUT
- The Pirates (0-10) competed in the Henson Hawk Tournament hosted by Maryland Eastern Shore from Sept. 14-15.
- The Pirates went 0-3 in the tournament losing 3-0 to both UNC Asheville and Iona, then 3-2 to UMES.
- The Pirates secured their first, second, and fourth most kills this season in the tournament: UMES (38), Iona (33), and UNC Asheville (28)
- The best match of the season for the Pirates came against UMES on Sept. 15. They totaled 38 kills, 44 digs, 30 assists, 14 service aces, 10 block assists, and eight total blocks (all season-highs)
- Madison Clark (52), Ada Bulgur (51), and Cortni Adam’s (46) lead the Pirates in kills
- Kylah Hunter leads the team in digs with 93 and Morgan Warren leads in assists at 160
- Adams also leads in blocks as well with 16.0
LOOKING AHEAD TO WHAT’S NEXT
After the Battle of the Bay, the Spartans will compete in the CSU Tournament hosted by Charleston Southern in North Charleston, S.C. from Sept. 20-21.
On the 20th, Norfolk State faces Sacred Heart and Western Illinois at 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. respectively, and Charleston Southern at 1 p.m. on the 21st.
The next Norfolk State home match is on Oct. 4 against Maryland Eastern Shore in a “White Out” matchup in Gill Gymnasium at 6 p.m.
