HUNTSVILLE, ALA. | Alabama State faced adversity for the first time in four matches and had to stave off a feisty Arkansas-Pine Bluff effort before claiming a heart-pounding five-set victory.

The win was No. 400 in the career of head coach Penny Lucas-White, a mark that spans 27 seasons.

The Lady Hornets (14-17, 11-2 SWAC) utilized a season-high 11 service aces and a potent offensive attack (59 total team kills) to put away the Lady Lions (8-16, 6-7). Junior Krysta Medearis had a career-night, snagging her first double-double of 2018 with 14 kills and a career-high 21 digs. Senior setter Kori Kutsch (45 assists, 14 digs) matched Medearis' double-double. The Torrance, Calif. native recorded her fifth match of 2018 of at least 40 helpers and is now 87 assists shy of 3,000.

The duo of Bayle' Bennett and Taira Cottingham dominated the final stanza, as each player recorded four kills while Bennett culminated the match by ripping off the final four points (three kills, one block). Bennett (18 total kills) is averaging 3.86 kills per set over her last four matches, leading all Lady Hornets. Cottingham put away 11 of her 29 attacks, the eighth time this year that she has recorded double-digit kills.

Prairie View A&M 0 Alabama State 3 
(25-10, 25-15, 25-23)

The Lady Hornets used 10 service aces and junior Bayle' Bennett's third-consecutive double-digit kill outing (10) en route to a clean sweep of Prairie View A&M. Kori Kutsch recorded 21 assists for her 23^rd outing of the season with at least 20 assists. Cottingham continued to hit a high clip, leading all Lady Hornets with a .438 attack percentage (nine kills) and is hitting .452 for the weekend. SWAC total blocks' leader Candace Martin swatted five Prairie View attacks to lead all players.

Alabama State controlled from the start, trailing only briefly in the third set. Kayla Torres capped an early 6-1 run in the opening stanza with a service ace, extending an early Lady Hornets lead out to double digits that they would maintain until the end. Bennett ignited the Lady Hornets on a dominant run through the second frame, reeling off a stretch of four straight points (three kills, one block) and Alabama State controlled the point with a 22-8 run en route to the easy victory. Prairie View A&M showed some life in the third set as Alabama State grabbed its first lead at 13-12 and broke an 18-18 tie with a 4-0 burst before a service ace from Bennett ended the match.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff 2 Alabama State 3
(24-26, 25-16 , 25-15, 19-25, 15-11)

UAPB reeled off four-straight points to force an early Alabama State timeout in the opener and the Lady Hornets put up a valiant effort in the opening set, claiming their first lead at 21-20 on an Arkansas-Pine Bluff error. Alabama State looked primed to take the set with a 23-21 advantage; however, the Lady Lions used a 5-1 burst and a set-clinching service ace to claim the opener. The Lady Hornets settled in the next set, leading from start to finish as freshman Morgan Freeman provided a spark off the bench with two service aces. The trend continued in the third frame with Alabama State controlling the point from start to finish and the Lady Hornets capitalized on four Lady Lions' service errors to break the tie. After UAPB forced a game-deciding fifth set, Bennett and Cottingham took over and Alabama State (74 total digs) settled in defensively.

The Lady Hornets conclude action at the Roundup with a 10:00 am tilt tomorrow against Texas Southern.

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