2021 Spartan Volleyball Sunday, January 24 | 5:30 p.m. | Joseph Echols Hall | Norfolk, Va.
George Mason Patriots (0-0) vs. Norfolk State Spartans (0-0) It has been more than a year since Norfolk State volleyball played an official match, but that will come to an end today as the Spartans get set to begin their 2021 spring campaign. 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. 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. 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. 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.
2021 Norfolk State Spring Schedule JANUARY Sun. 24 George Mason............... 5:30 p.m. Fri. 29 VCU...................................... 4 p.m. Sun. 31 at Old Dominion.........................1 p.m. FEBRUARY Thur. 4 Mon. 8 Thur. 11 Fri. 12 Tues. 16 Thur. 18 Fri. 19 Thur. 25 Fri. 26
Delaware State................... 4 p.m. at Delaware State.......................4 p.m. at North Carolina A&T *............4 p.m. at North Carolina A&T *............1 p.m. at UNC Wilmington....................4 p.m. South Carolina State *....... 4 p.m. South Carolina State *....... 1 p.m. at North Carolina Central *.....4 p.m. at North Carolina Central *.....1 p.m.
MARCH Thur. 4 Fri. 5 Thur. 11 Fri. 12 Thur. 18 Fri. 19
at South Carolina State *.........4 p.m. at South Carolina State *.........1 p.m. North Carolina Central *.... 4 p.m. North Carolina Central *.... 1 p.m. North Carolina A&T *......... 4 p.m. North Carolina A&T *......... 1 p.m.
APRIL Fri.- 2- MEAC Championship #..........TBD Sat. 3 Home Matches in Bold played at Joseph Echols Hall * MEAC Southern Division Contest # NSU will host at Echols Hall
Norfolk State Spartans Head Coach Kathy Bullock N.C. A&T ‘87 Second Season Assistant Coach Jazmyne Johnson Mississippi State ‘16 First Season
No. Name
Pos.
Ht.
Yr.
Hometown/Previous School
1
Rachel Williams
OH
5-10
Sr.
Mesquite, Texas/Arkansas-Fort Smith
2
Nicole Rodriguez
L
5-5
Jr.
Kissimmee, Fla./Daytona State College
3
Jaida Bynum
S
5-7
Fr.
Largo, Md./Elizabeth Seton HS
6
Jazmine Craig
OH/DS
5-9
Sr.
Fort Huachuca, Ariz./Buena HS
7
Paola Matos
Opp
5-11
Fr.
Fajardo, Puerto Rico/Colegio De Diego de Carolina
9
Anjola Thomas
MB
5-10
Fr.
Beaumont, Calif./Beaumont HS
10 Paola Maradei
MB
5-11
Jr.
São Paulo, Brazil/Trinidad State JC
11
Kalaya Brown
DS/L
5-5
Fr.
Mesa, Ariz./Mesa HS
12 Myleah Carter
L/DS
5-5
So.
Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay HS
13 Taylor Eichelberger
OH/Opp 5-11
Sr.
Roanoke, Va./Patrick Henry HS
14 Jurnee Stuckey
Utl
5-6
Fr.
Cypress, Texas/Langham Creek HS
15 Jannel Ezeagwu
MB
5-11
R-Sr.
16 Kaia Brown
MB
5-10
Fr.
17 Siera Jones
L/DS
5-6
So.
18 Symone Thomas
OH/MB
5-8
R-So.
21 Heliceliz Rivera
S
5-9
Jr.
Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge HS Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Polytechnic HS Bridgeville, Del./Delmarva Christian HS Kileen, Texas/C.E. Ellison HS Corozal, Puerto Rico/Frontier CC
George Mason Patriots Head Coach Aylene Ilkson Springfield College ‘09 Fourth Season Jordan Glass George Mason ‘18 First Season
No. Name
Pos.
Ht.
Yr.
Hometown/Previous School
2
Marlanna Bozicevich
L
5-10
Jr.
San Marcos, Calif./San Marcos HS
3
Siron Hardy
OH
5-10
Jr.
4
Christina Walker
OH
6-2
So.
Palmyra, Va./Fluvanna County HS
6
Marley Willard
L
5-4
So.
Roanoke, Va./Hidden Valley HS
8
Katie Parmalee
OPP
6-1
Jr.
13 Jewel Clark
MB
6-0
So.
14 Grace Kristofic
S
5-10
Fr.
Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland HS
15 Erin Derick
S
5-10
Jr.
Wilmington, Del./Saint Mark’s HS
17 Peyton Ehmke
MB
6-1
Jr. San Clemente, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS
18 Stephanie Der
L
5-3
So.
20 Brianna Jackson
MB
6-2
Fr.
Port Saint Lucie, Fla./Fort Pierce Central HS
21 Taylor Terry
OPP
6-3
Fr.
Cape Charles, Va./Peninsula Catholic HS
22 Alessia Del Romano
OH
5-9
Sr.
Bologna, Italy/Georgia Tech
23 Yanira Lopez-Barahona OH
5-9
So.
24 Katelyn Clarke
5-11
Fr.
OH
Centreville, Va./Flint Hill School
Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles HS Ashburn, Va./Briar Woods HS
Chantilly, Va./Chantilly HS
Manassas, Va./Manassas Park HS Fairfax Station, Va./South County HS