Montgomery, Ala. – Alabama State volleyball will put a pause on conference play when it travels to Hattiesburg, Miss., to play a 6 p.m. match against Southern Miss on Wednesday.
 
The Lady Hornets (4-15, 1-4 SWAC) are coming off a 1-4 weekend at the Southwestern Athletic Conference West Roundup capped off with a dominating 3-0 (25-18, 25-12, 25-16) win over Grambling State on Sunday morning.
 
In the contest, three players racked up double-digit kills in led by senior Bayle' Bennett (.310) and sophomore Taryn King (.611, career high) with 13 apiece followed by junior Taira Cottingham (.350) posting 10. Bennett also added 12 digs to record her ninth double double of the season.
 
On the season, Bennett leads the way with 224 kills averaging 3.20 per set alongside 183 digs (2.61/set). Junior E'laisah Young follows behind tallying 113 kills with a .294 hitting percentage and a team-high 41 blocks (nine solos).
 
Defensively, freshman Emersen Belles paces the team with 228 digs (3.25/set) as well as holds the team lead in 18 service aces. Fellow classmate Madison Beasley controls the offense with 380 assists averaging 5.43 per set.
 
Scouting Southern Miss
Southern Miss is coming off a tough loss to Western Kentucky, 3-0 (23-25, 18-25, 17-25) in Conference USA action to move to 0-14 on the season. The Golden Eagles have only won two sets this season, grabbing one set against Seattle and Tulane.
 
In the match against WKU, Kinsley Hanback tallied a career-high nine kills while Katie Erdmann posted seven kills and a .375 hitting percentage. Piper Matsumoto posted 24 assists and seven digs while Madison Lawler secured a game-high 12 digs.
 
On the season, Kess Krutsinger leads the way with 72 kills averaging 1.67 per set with a .288 hitting percentage alongside a team-high 25 blocks. Matsumoto boasts 285 assists (7.92/set) and a team-high eight service aces. Matsumoto and Lawler have over 100 digs with 103 and 163, respectively.
 
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