MONTGOMERY, Ala. | The Alabama State University volleyball team looks to bounce back this weekend as they host the ISTAP Collegiate Cup beginning Friday afternoon in Lockhart Gymnasium.
The Lady Hornets face Southeastern Louisiana at 7 pm Friday night, while they will face Western Carolina (11:30 am) and Jacksonville (5 pm) on Saturday. Admission is free to the event.
Alabama State (2-5) enters the weekend off a loss to the University of South Alabama Tuesday night.
Ni'yesha Brown leads the Lady Hornets with 66 kills, while
Briana Dorsey – the reigning SWAC Offensive Player of the Week – has 60 on the season.
Krysta Medearis has chipped in with 50 kills, while
Payten Clark – the reigning SWAC Newcomer of the Week - has added 40 through seven matches.
Kori Kutsch, who has won the SWAC Setter of the Week for the first two weeks, leads the Lady Hornets with 136 assists which pushes her over 1300 for her career.
Justus Tuiolosega has added 85. Sophomore
Bayle' Bennett heads in the weekend leading the team in digs with 52, while Brown has added 45. Meanwhile, Dorsey (23) and Clark (22) have combined for 45 blocks this season for the Lady Hornets.
Southeastern Louisiana (0-6) comes into this weekend searching for their first victory after dropping the first six matches of the 2017 season. The Lady Lions have been outhit through the first six matches (.293 to .071) and have dropped all six matches in three sets. Savannah Alcazar leads Southeastern Louisiana with 37 kills, while Chloee Holden has chipped in 35 through six matches. Haley Baker leads the Lady Lions in assists with 105, averaging 5.83 assists per game. Lexie Torres leads the way in digs with 68, while Baker has added 29 and Alcazar 38.
Western Carolina enters the tournament with a record of 1-5, but are in search of their first win since August 25 when they defeated Charleston Southern. Since that opening win, they have dropped 15 of the 16 sets that have been played; including the last 15. Abigail Veit leads the team with 49 kills, while Gabby Gray has 39 and MaKenzie White 38 on the season. Katie O'Connor has chipped in with 36 and Aleah Keaton with 24 - rounding out the players in double-digit kills. Hannah Price leads Western Carolina with 116 assists through six matches, while Jo-Leigh VerVelde has 52. Meagan Sanchez leads the team in digs with 69, while Veit has added 51 and Price 42.
Jacksonville, who will be in Montgomery for a few days while Hurricane Irma passes through, enters the weekend at 2-4 after three consecutive losses. After a four-set win over Bethune-Cookman, they have dropped matches to 21st-ranked Purdue, Wyoming and Eastern Michigan. Mallory Mattingly leads the team in kills with 78, while Cristina Finan has added 48 and Olga Nushtayeva has added 42. Hannah Marchand has chipped in with 40. Alleah Stamatis leads the team with 127 assists, while Lauren Petersen has added 98 through six matches. Mackenzie Swan leads the team in digs with 75,while Cristina Finan has posted 58 and Mattingly 50 this season. Marchand leads the team with 21 total blocks, while Nushtayeva has added 15.
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