Montgomery, Ala. | It's here. After 16 games, three time zones and matches in four states, Southwestern Athletic Conference play officially begins this weekend in Baton Rouge, La. as Southern University hosts the annual SWAC Roundup.
Alabama State will play five matches in three days, including doubleheaders Friday and Saturday. The Lady Hornets are slated to square off with Prairie View A&M (3:00 pm) and Grambling (5:30 pm) on Friday, followed by tilts with Southern (10:00 am) and Texas Southern (7:00 pm) on Saturday. A 10:00 a.m. match with UAPB Sunday closes out the opening weekend.
Alabama State ranks near the top of the Southwestern Athletic Conference in numerous statistical categories. The Lady Hornets rank third in digs (647), second in service aces (56), second in total blocks (89.5), second in total assists (488) and second in total kills (527).
Kori Kutsch ranks first in the SWAC in total assists (397) and assists per set (7.09). Kutsch now has 2,455 career assists. Middle Blocker
Candace Martin ranks second in the conference with 0.93 blocks per set and is third in the league with a .208 attack percentage. Martin also leads the league in total blocks (52). Libero
Kayla Torres ranks second in the conference with 149 digs (2.92 digs per set).
Prairie View A&M enters the SWAC Roundup with an overall record of 0-10. Jaylan Thomas leads the Panther s with 95 kills and 2.97 kills per set and Erica Jimenez has 122 assists. The defense is led by Christin Augustine (131 digs) and Victoria Pearson has 12 blocks. Alabama State took down the Panthers in straight sets in both matches in 2017.
Grambling fell to Louisiana Monroe 0-3 in their most recent match. The Tigers boast five players with 50 or more kills, including Kevreion Ward's 100. L'Muriell Thrower (174assists) and Sheila Borders (131) facilitate the Tigers offense. Kabria Dame (95 digs), Ward (23 blocks) and Kayla Dougherty (21) anchor the defense. The Lady Hornets swept the Tigers in two matches a season ago.
Southern (2-6) enters the tournament riding high following a five-set takedown of Southeastern Louisiana in its most recent outing. Shelby Jolly (81 kills) and Paige Hall (78 kills) lead the Jags' offense, while Vaterra Calais has assisted on 198 kills this season. Three Southern defenders have accounted for over 17 blocks, with Paige Hall's 23 leading the team. Additionally, five Jaguars have 50 or more digs, with Bailey Jefferson (100) out in the front. Alabama State defeated the Jaguars 3-2 and 3-0 in their most recent matchups.
Texas Southern is paced by Kirby Anderson (63 kills) and Eboni Mitchell (61 kills), while Brevanna York has tallied 14 service aces in 2018. Anderson also anchors defense with a team-high 38 total blocks. Alabama State won all three matches against Texas Southern in 2017 (3-1, 3-2, and 3-1).
Arkansas Pine Bluff is coming off a 3-0 sweep against Crowleys Ridge to push its overall record to 2-9. Kendalle Howard leads UAPB with 77.5 points and Britney Sahlmann orchestrates the attack with 196 assists. Charis Adefolarim is the lead net protector with 22 blocks. Alabama State won all three matches against UAPB last year.
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