STANFORD, CALIF. | Alabama State fell to top-seeded Stanford 3-0 (25-10, 25-17, 25-15) at Maples Pavilion in the opening round of the NCAA Volleyball Championships Friday night.

The 17 points in the second set and the 42 total points were the highest by a Lady Hornets team in a NCAA Tournament match. Alabama State hit a remarkable .417 in the second set against one of the tallest teams in the tournament.

The season comes to an end for Alabama State (23-18) while Stanford (29-1) advances to the second round where they will face Loyola Marymount at 8 pm.

Alabama State overcame a 3-13 start to the season and picked up wins over its final 13 opponents en route to their third straight conference championship. The Lady Hornets parlayed that momentum into a spirited effort against the No. 1 team in the country, earning the respect of many inside the historic facility Friday night.

Bayle' Bennett led the Lady Hornets with eight kills, Krysta Medearis added six and Payten Clark had five. Kori Kutsch finished with 24 assists and Kayla Torres led the defense with eight digs.

Meghan McClure paced the Cardinal with nine kills.

The match ended the careers for one of the most successful senior classes in Alabama State history. Candace Martin, Kayla Torres and Kutsch were a part of three SWAC tournament titles, four SWAC tournament title appearances and three NCAA tournaments. Martin, the SWAC Player of the Year and a four-time conference champion, accounted for two blocks and ends her career with 302 blocks, the fifth most all-time at Alabama State. Kutsch stands second at Alabama State with 3,164 career assists and first in service aces (133).

The three-time defending SWAC champion Lady Hornets will return a solid nucleus in 2019. Bennett, Medearis and Taira Cottingham return on the outside while Payten Clark will patrol the middle.

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