HAMPTON, Va. – The 2019 Hampton University volleyball season opened on Friday night with the Battle of the Bay as the Lady Pirates defeated Norfolk State 25-23, 25-15, 25-14 inside Holland Hall.

In the opening set, Hampton opened with an 8-3 start as Gabby Calloway ran off five straight points on her serve.  The lead grew to 21-10 behind Calloway's serving as a kill by Sydney Sumner gave Hampton its largest lead.   Norfolk State went on an 11-1 run to trim the margin to 24-23, but an attack error by the Spartans gave Hampton the first set 25-23.

Hampton jumped out in the second set 10-4 on a Brooke Irvin ace and kept Norfolk State at bay with an ace from Sumner to close out the second set 25-15.

In the third set, Hampton used an 8-2 run midway through to gain momentum as a Calloway kill put the hosts up 17-9.   Norfolk State got no closer than seven the rest of the way as Calloway ended the night with a kill for the 25-14 third set and victory for Hampton.

Isis Black and Sumner each had eight kills to lead Hampton, while Lena Reed-Petracek had 20 assists and eight digs.  Calloway had six kills, three service aces and a team best 12 digs for the Lady Pirates.  Brooke Irvin added 10 assists, two aces and two digs.

The Battle of the Bay will resume tomorrow at 1 pm at Norfolk State University.

For more information on Hampton University volleyball, please contact the Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5757 or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.