ITTA BENA, Miss. | With three Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) matches remaining on the schedule, the magic number to clinch the regular season championship is down to one following a 3-1 (25-14,20-25,25-8,26-24) Alabama State victory over Mississippi Valley State Sunday evening.
 
Candace Martin posted a season-high 11 kills, hitting .429 in the victory for Alabama State (22-9, 15-0 SWAC). Briana Dorsey finished with 10 kills in the win, while hitting .381 for the Lady Hornets who extended their conference winning streak to 36 consecutive matches.
 
Kori Kutsch led the team with 22 assists, while Justus Tuiolosega added 17. Brittany Brown posted a career-high 19 digs, with Bayle' Bennett adding 11 in the win,
 
After Mississippi Valley State (6-24, 4-11 SWAC) tied the first set at 2-all, Alabama State went on an 18-7 run to take a 20-9 lead in the opening set. The Lady Hornets got kills from five different players in the opening set, as they finished with 13 in the opening set, combined with three blocks. Martin collected four of her 11 kills in the first set, while Bennett and Ni'yesha Brown added three.
 
After falling in the second set, Alabama State responded in the third after the Devilettes scored the first point of the set. The Lady Hornets went on 16-3 run to open a 12-point advantage midway through the set when Payten Clark put away a kill on an assist from Tuiolosega. After Mississippi Valley State trimmed the deficit down to 11 (19-8), the Lady Hornets scored the last six points of the set behind the serving of Ni'yesha Brown with a pair of service aces.
 
In the final set, Mississippi Valley State jumped out to a 9-3 lead and held that lead for the next 18 points until Alabama State tied the match at 15-all. The two teams traded points with Mississippi Valley State grabbing a 23-22 lead. The Lady Hornets tied the set on a Ni'yesha Brown kill (from Bennett). They were able to take a one-point lead until the Devilettes fought off a match point to tie the set at 24-all. However, a kill from Dorsey and a ball-handling error by Mississippi Valley State enabled the Lady Hornets to claim the match.
 
Alabama State returns to action Monday night on the road at Alcorn State, with the match starting at 6 pm. A Lady Hornet victory, or an Alabama A&M loss, and the Lady Hornets will wrap up the regular season conference title.
 
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