NORFOLK, Virginia — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team rebounded after dropping the first set to win 3-1 (24-26, 25-20, 25-20 and 25-15) on Friday evening (Nov. 8) against the Norfolk State University Spartans to win their third straight match.

"It feels really good to get this kind of win because we showed a lot of resilience," head coach Trevor Callarman said. "Norfolk State played with a lot of energy and focus but the team stayed locked in to get a big win."

The Hawks (11-16, 6-6 MEAC) held a lead late in the first set, but the Spartans would fight back and win the set after a Hawks error. In the second set, Eastern Shore jumped out to a 7-2 lead. They would maintain the lead from that point on and senior Ivana Blazevic (Zagreb, Croatia) would get an ace to end the frame and tie the match at one.

After the intermission, the two teams would trade the lead several times before ending the set with a block from sophomores Alexis Lee (Wilmington, Delaware) and Mauri Carver (Elizabeth City, North Carolina) and back-to-back aces from Blazevic. In the fourth set, Maryland Eastern Shore gained control early and cruised to victory as junior Ilina Spasova (Sofia, Bulgaria) ended the match with a kill.

Friday's match displayed a large amount of balance for Eastern Shore. Three players finished with a double-double for the Hawks. Blazevic had 42 assists and 14 digs. She also had five kills and four aces. Spasova finished with 14 kills and 13 digs. Junior Tatjana Trifkovic (Belgrade, Serbia) also had 14 kills and 13 digs.

"The good thing about our team is we have so many good players that you never know who is going to step up and lead us that night," Callarman said. "That makes us tough to scout and shut down as well."

The Shore will now face Howard on Sunday (Nov. 10) at 1 p.m. A combination of a win and a loss by Delaware State on Sunday would secure the Hawks a trip to the MEAC Tournament.

For more information on Eastern Shore Athletics visit http://www.easternshorehawks.com/.