NORFOLK, Va. – The first edition of the 2015 Battle of the Bay, volleyball edition, didn't disappoint Friday night in Echols Hall, as Hampton University scratched and clawed its way to a 3-2 (25-19, 25-27, 29-27, 29-31, 15-11) win.
 
The Lady Pirates, in winning their fifth straight over Norfolk State, picked up their first win of the season.
 
"The girls did a very good job tonight of stepping up and finishing the match," first-year head coach Janay Yancey said. "I want to highlight our middles – Kyndall, Tatyana, and Kennedy – for stepping up. The girls did a good job of playing through those crunch moments."
 
Reeana Richardson led the way with 21 kills, marking the second time this season that she had eclipsed the 20-kill mark. She also had three of the team's five service aces.
 
Three Lady Pirates notched double-doubles on the evening: Allysa Medina (11 kills, 16 digs), Brianna Lilly (career high-tying 51 assists, a career- and team-high 23 digs), and Lena Washington (career high-tying 10 kills and 10 digs). Washington also had a team- and career-high eight blocks.
 
Kennedy Kenney added seven blocks.
 
Kyndall Nicholas had a career-high 10 kills, six blocks, and hit a team-best .615.
 
Hampton (1-17, 1-4 MEAC) hit .211 for the match, while also dominating at the net to the tune of a 15-5 edge in team blocks.
 
The Lady Pirates controlled much of the first set, jumping out to a 10-5 lead in the early stages after Nicholas and Richardson paired on a block. A 6-0 run later in the set gave Hampton a 17-7 lead, and even though the Spartans outscored the Lady Pirates 12-8 to end the set, Hampton never relinquished control.
 
In fact, that control carried over into the early moments of the second set, when the Lady Pirates used a 4-1 spurt to take a 7-6 lead after a kill from Washington. But Norfolk State responded and took control of the set, at one point leading 15-13.
 
But a 5-1 Hampton run gave the Lady Pirates an 18-16 lead, and Thomas and Medina later paired on a block to give Hampton a 21-18 lead. Norfolk State answered with a 5-1 run of its own to take a 23-22 lead, before the Lady Pirates scored the next two points – forcing set point in the process.
 
But Norfolk State staved off the pending 2-0 deficit, scoring four of the set's last five points to tie the match at 1-1 – despite Hampton hitting .273 in the second set.
 
The third set was another tight affair, with neither team enjoying more than a four-point lead. At one point, the Spartans led 17-13 after a 6-2 run, and they later led 19-15. But the Lady Pirates clawed back every time Norfolk State threatened to get separation; after the Spartans took a 22-18 lead, the Lady Pirates went on a 6-1 run to force set point – going up 24-23 after Washington and Kenney paired on a block.
 
The Spartans scored the next two points to force set point, before committing back-to-back attack errors to give the Lady Pirates the upper hand at 26-25. But Norfolk State rebounded, scoring the next two points to go up 27-26.
 
But as they had all night, the Lady Pirates persevered – and it started at the net. Nicholas and Washington paired on a block to tie the set at 27-27, before a kill from Nicholas forced set point. Nicholas then had a hand in winning the third set, pairing with Medina on a block to give Hampton a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
The Lady Pirates hit a team-best .293 (18 kills, six errors in 41 attacks in the fourth set, but Norfolk State also hit its best percentage of the match in that frame at .349. After Washington and Kenney gave Hampton a 7-5 lead with a block, Norfolk State went on a 5-1 run to take a 10-8 lead.
 
That lead eventually grew into 19-16 before Hampton rattled off five straight points to take a 21-19 lead after an ace from Richardson. But Norfolk State responded with a 5-1 run to force set point with a 24-22 lead. Hampton scored the next two points to tie the set at 24-24, before the two teams traded points in each of the next 10 rallies.
 
That back-and-forth ended with a kill from Medina that tied the set at 29-29.
 
But the Spartans scored the next two points after that, taking the fourth set and pushing the match to its apex.
 
Norfolk State led 3-2 in the opening moments of the final stanza, but the Lady Pirates scored the next six points – taking an 8-3 lead on a Spartans attack error. Norfolk State scored the next point after that, before the Lady Pirates went on a 5-1 run to go up 13-5 on a kill from Washington.
 
A 6-1 Spartans run cut the lead to 14-11, but a service error ended that run and the match.
 
Norfolk State (1-16, 0-4 MEAC) held a 7-5 edge in service aces.
 
Angie Darcus led the Spartans with 20 kills.
 
"This is an amazing confidence boost," Yancey said. "We're looking forward to seeing the second half of conference play and how we come back against the rest of the teams. I want to see what we can take from this win looking forward to tomorrow against UMES)."
 
The Lady Pirates will play host to Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday at 6 p.m. For more information on Hampton University volleyball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.