Montgomery, Ala. – Alabama State was unable to hold off in-state foe South Alabama and dropped a 3-1 (25-20, 13-25, 21-25, 14-25) decision in non-conference volleyball action inside of Lockhart Gymnasium on Tuesday night.
 
The Lady Hornets (3-8) opened the game by winning the first set but the Jaguars (5-5) fought back and hit .244 for the match to take the final three sets.
 
Senior Bayle' Bennett finished the match with her fifth consecutive double double in a game-high 14 kills and a game-high tying 14 digs alongside two service aces. Bennett was the sole Lady Hornet to record double digit kills and posted a .258 hitting percentage.
 
Defensively, freshman Emersen Belles tied Bennett for a game-high 14 digs while sophomore Taryn King posted a career-high tying six total blocks followed by senior Krysta Medearis with five blocks. Freshman Madison Beasley paced the offense with 16 assists.
 
Set One (Alabama State 25, South Alabama 13)
Alabama State controlled all the momentum in the first set, holding the Jaguars to a .083 hitting percentage with nine errors. The Alabama State defense played a crucial role in winning the set, as the team recorded five blocks including four block assists from King. Junior Taira Cottingham recorded three kills on a .750 hitting percentage.
 
Set Two (Alabama State 13, South Alabama 25)
The Lady Hornets were unable to find a rhythm as they committed seven errors with only seven kills. South Alabama recorded 11 kills and secured 14 digs to hold off any hopes off coming back by Alabama State.
 
Set Three (Alabama State 21, South Alabama 25)
Set three was a dog fight as there were nine ties and four lead changes in the set before South Alabama crept away with the win. Despite hitting .097 in the set, the Lady Hornets stuck with the Jaguars by tallying six block assists in the set. Eight of the 10 Lady Hornets that played in the set recorded at least one kill.
 
Set Four (Alabama State 14, South Alabama 25)
The Jaguars controlled the momentum for the entire set and led wire-to-wire to seal the deal. South Alabama hit .483 with 16 kills to grind out the win. Alabama State recorded 10 kills in the set, four by way of Bennett with a .333 hitting percentage alongside five digs.
 
Up Next
Alabama State will play in the Wildcat Classic on Friday and Saturday held at the University of Arizona. The Lady Hornets will face Arizona (12 p.m. CT) and Sacramento State (7:30 p.m. CT) on Friday before capping off the trip with a 10 a.m. CT contest against New Mexico State on Saturday.
 
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