Huntsville, Ala. – Alabama State bounced back into the win column with a convincing 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-21) win over in-state rival Alabama A&M in Southwestern Athletic Conference volleyball action on Friday night.
 
The Lady Hornets (7-17, 4-5 SWAC) went into a hostile environment but kept calm hitting .250 with 45 kills while holding the Bulldogs (11-12, 7-2 SWAC) to a .148 despite Alabama A&M coming into the match averaging a league-best .231 percentage.
 
Senior Bayle' Bennett recorded her 12th double double of the season with a game-high tying 11 kills and 10 digs. Fellow senior Krysta Medearis posted 11 kills (.231 hitting) with a game-high five blocks including three solos.
 
Freshman Kimari Terrell tallied a season-high six kills on a season- and a game-high .600 hitting percentage. Junior McKenzie Boland tallied a career- and game-high 39 assists with six digs and a service ace. Freshman Emersen Belles posted a game-high tying 15 digs with a career- and game-high four service aces.
 
Set One (Alabama State 25, Alabama A&M 23)
The first set was a battle as neither team could solidify more than a four-point lead in the set but the Lady Hornets fought hard to slip past the Bulldogs to take a 1-0 lead. Alabama State hit a blistering .306 with 15 kills and only four errors. Junior E'laisah Young went a perfect 4-for-4 on attacks.
 
Set Two (Alabama State 25, Alabama A&M 17)
Alabama State controlled the entire momentum as Alabama A&M was unable to gain a lead in the set. Once again the Lady Hornets hit .306 but the defense stepped up as well tallying 19 digs and two blocks to hold the Bulldogs to a .073 percentage. Medearis recorded five of Alabama State's 14 kills.
 
Set Three (Alabama State 25, Alabama A&M 21)
The Lady Hornets struggled to begin the set as they were forced to call an early timeout trailing 9-2. Following the timeout, Alabama State went on a 12-2 run to take a 14-11 lead that it would not relinquish. Both teams could not find an offensive rhythm but Alabama State secured 16 kills to seal the sweep.
 
Up Next
Alabama State will head to Jackson, Miss., to play in the SWAC East Roundup from Oct. 25-27. The Lady Hornets open the roundup against Prairie View A&M (12:30 p.m.) and UAPB (3 p.m.) on the 25th.
 
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