Box Score

MONTGOMERY—Alabama State University's volleyball team got off to a fast start, but could not hold their momentum in a 3-1 (25-13, 22-25, 23-25, 16-25) loss to California State University Bakersfield.
 
Rachel Smith had 12 kills and Chelsey Scott added 11, but it was the unforced errors that cost the Lady Hornets in this loss to CSUB.
 
The day started well for ASU as they jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first set and never looked back in the 25-13 win.  Smith and Scott had three kills and ASU hit .409.  CSUB only hit .130 in the set as Kelsee Sawyer led the way with four kills.
 
The second set was a sign of what the second and third set would be like.  There was nine ties and six lead changes in the second set.  With the Lady Hornets holding a 13-12 lead, CSUB went on a 5-0 run to take a 17-13 lead.  The closest ASU would get after that run would be 23-21, but CSUB would close out the set for the 25-22 win.
 
ASU had 15 errors in the set, including four receiving errors and six attack errors.
 
Set three was much like set two, as there turned out to be 10 ties and five lead changes in the close set.  Again it was errors that hurt the Lady Hornets chances, including five service errors, all made with ASU holding a lead.
 
The Lady Hornets still led 21-20, but after a CSUB timeout, the Road Runners finished the game on a 5-2 run for the 25-23 win.  CSUB hit .370 in the game and Araujo had four of her team and game-high 15 kills in the set.
 
ASU hit a solid .308 with Scott leading the way with four kills.
 
The fourth set started out like the second and third as the two teams traded points till they reached four.  From there the visitors went on a 9-1 run to build a 13-5 lead and they never looked back in the 25-16 win.
 
CSUB has been playing as an NCAA Division I Independent team, but was just named as a new member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) on Friday, Oct. 12.  The Road Runners are now 10-10 on the season.
 
Araujo's 15 kills led the team and Sawyer finished with 14 kills.  Fernanda Goncalves had 39 assists and Julia Bowen had a game-high 14 digs.
 
Brooke Beasley had 34 assists and Luiza Griz and Scott had eight assists.
 
“I am very disappointed with our effort after the first game today,” Head Coach Penny Lucas-White said.  “We came out playing so well and then we just fell back into our old mistakes.  We only made three errors in the first set.  It is easy to see why we won the game.  Then we just seem to fall back into our old habits and it was disheartening to see it.”
 
“We must find a way to stay focused in our final seven games to help us prepare for the conference tournament that comes up in a month.”
 
ASU moves to 4-22 on the season and will be on the road on Sunday, Oct. 21 for their next game at Savannah State University.  The game is set for 1 p.m.