Atlanta, Ga. | Alabama State dropped the opener of the Hyatt Regency Invitational to Georgia Tech, 3-0 (11-25, 16-25, 17-25).

The Lady Hornets (3-2) battled early in the opening set, forcing four ties and five lead changes before the Yellow Jackets (5-0) broke away. Alabama State's -.048 attack percentage and three service errors proved too large to overcome, and the Lady Hornets were also unable to take advantage of four Georgia Tech service errors. Krysta Medearis (three kills) and Kori Kutsch (four assists) highlighted the set for Alabama State.

The Lady Hornets kept it close throughout the second frame, playing a cleaner set while improving their attack percentage (.040) in addition to committing zero service errors. Bennett hit .333 and had three kills while freshman Kayla Warren got in the scoring column with an ace.

Alabama State battled until the end in the final set, staying within striking distance before Georgia Tech closed out the match on a 14-6 run.

The win marked the first in the series history for the Yellow Jackets, as the series now stands at 3-1 in favor of Alabama State. Georgia Tech was led by Mariana Brambilla (12 kills), while the team had a cumulative 14 blocks and 34 digs. The Lady Hornets were paced by Krysta Medearis, who finished with nine kills, one service ace, one block, three digs and hit .208 for the match. Bayle Bennett added five kills and middle blocker Candace Martin put away three attacks while hitting .500 in the contest. Kori Kutsch added 14 assists to her career total.

Alabama State returns to action tomorrow morning for its second match of the tournament, squaring off with Tulane at 9:30 am.

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