Emerson, Ga. | A mix of highs and lows highlighted the first day of the SWAC/MEAC Challenge for the Alabama State women's volleyball team as the Lady Hornets split a pair of matches with North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T at the LakePoint Champions Center.

Alabama State (1-1) quickly found itself in a hole to open the tournament, dropping the first two sets against the Eagles before ripping off three consecutive set victories to secure a season-opening 3-2 win (25-27, 20-25, 28-26, 28-26, 15-11). Juniors Krysta Medearis and Bayle' Bennett finished with 20 and 18 kills respectively, while freshman Kaitlynn Stoker made her debut with 16 kills and eight digs.

The Lady Hornets again fell behind 0-2 in their second match of the day and appeared to be clawing back after picking up a third set victory, but fell short 3-1 (16-25, 21-25, 26-24, 20-25). Bennett added 10 kills and 15 digs while Alexandria Sarathy finished with a team-high four service aces.

"Unforced errors hurt us," Alabama State head women's volleyball coach Penny Lucas-White said. "We missed 15 serves in the first match which is unacceptable. Being able to know when we are out of system, keeping the ball in play and being smart at times that are crucial hurt us."

Alabama State 3 N.C. Central 2
A slow start was mitigated by a strong finish as the Lady Hornets fought back from an early deficit en route to a victory against their MEAC counterparts. The match-extending third set saw Alabama State with five set point opportunities before Bayle' Bennett's service ace finally closed out the set.

The Hornets forced a game-deciding set after trailing 17-21 in the fourth frame, surviving three match points. Alabama State led from start to finish in the final set, punctuating the match with kill No. 20 for Medearis for the game's final point.

Alabama State 1 N.C. A&T 3
Despite 15 digs and 26 assists from Kutsch, a .052 attack percentage proved to be too much to overcome.

Bennett and Medearis each finished with 28 total kills in the two matches, while freshmen Stoker (20) and Taryn King (13) rounded out the top attackers for the Lady Hornets. Kori Kutsch added to her 2,058 career assists with an additional 86. The senior also accounted for 30 digs. Senior Candace Martin paced the team six blocks.

Alabama State returns to action tomorrow with another doubleheader, beginning with Gardner-Webb (1 p.m.) before facing South Carolina State in a nightcap (6 p.m.)

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