Box Score The Alabama State University volleyball team fell in a hard-fought 3-2 loss to the Mississippi Valley State Devillettes, Saturday afternoon at Lockhart Gym.  Mississippi Valley State took the match by the scores of 25-23, 25-19, 22-25, 15-25, 15-13.  This closes out ASU's regular season.
 
The game saw the Lady Hornets down 2-0 before winning sets three and four.  Alabama State stayed within reach in all the matches, but just couldn't pull out before falling in set five 15-13. The game saw 34 tie scores and 12 lead changes.
 
Freshman outside hitter Rachel Smith led the ASU charge by recording 19 kills and adding nine digs and three block assists.  Teammate freshman Chelsey Scott recorded 18 kills and two block assist.  Freshman Amber Bennett hit a team-high .421 percentage on nine hits with one error and added two block assists to her numbers. Myla Marshall had a season high of nine blocks, (two solo and seven assisted) she also tallied eight kills.
 
Set one saw eleven ties and five lead changes before the Miss. Valley State Devillettes slid by ASU with a 25-23 win.  Smith saw her first kills in this set averaging a team best of .455 for set one.
 
Set two did not see as much intensity, but a well fought battle before the Devillettes took that set with a 25-19 win.  Anniiya Robinson took the charge in set two with four kills and two digs.
 
Set three saw much of the same as set one as there were 14 ties and five lead changes allowing ASU to stay alive winning the set 25-22.  Smith saw four kills, five digs and one block assist in this set to lead the Lady Hornets.
 
The fourth set saw Alabama State edge pass Miss. Valley State in a well played match by Rachel Smith and Chelsey Scott with four kills apiece. Bennett added three kills to the 25-15 win.
 
Mississippi Valley rallied to take set five 15-13 and the game 3-2 as the hit for .238 as a team.  The Devillettes were led by Brychana Williams with 16 kills, 12 digs and four blocks.
 
“I was very disappointed in the way we played tonight,” said head coach Penny Lucas-White.  “We showed a little heart when we rallied back, but we just didn't finish.  For us to dig a hole that deep and couldn't get out of it and I am disappointed.  We've done this all year and we just never seem to be able to finish.”
The Lady Hornets will return to action when travel to Jackson, Miss to participate in the SWAC Championship tournament November 17-18.  The brackets have not been set yet and more information on the tournament at bamastatesports.com as the information will come from the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
 
 
 
GO HORNETS