Montgomery, Ala. – Alabama State volleyball heads to Chicago, Ill., to compete in the Windy City Collegiate Volleyball Invitational hosted by Chicago State on Friday and Saturday. The Lady Hornets will face Western Carolina (2 p.m.) and Chicago State (7 p.m.) on Friday and Cal State-Fullerton (11 a.m.) on Saturday.
 
Alabama State (3-1) is coming off a tough 3-0 (21-25, 16-25, 23-25) loss to UAB on Tuesday night. The Lady Hornets found their rhythm late in the third set as they hit .462 but it was not enough to take a set from the Blazers allowing them to win their first contest of the season.
 
In the match, senior Krysta Medearis continued her dominate offensive performance as she hit .429 with eight kills on the night. Fellow senior Bayle' Bennett posted a team-high 10 kills alongside a service ace.
 
On the season, Bennett leads the team with 48 kills, averaging 3.43 per set alongside eight service aces. Defensively, Bennett has 25 digs, second-highest on the team and eight blocks. Medearis follows behind with 39 kills with a 2.79/set average and a .400 hitting percentage.
 
Freshmen Madison Beasley and Emersen Belles lead the team in assists and digs, respectively, with 85 assists (6.07/set) and 40 digs (2.86/set).
 
Alabama State Sweeps SWAC Weekly Honors
After going a perfect 3-0 this past weekend, Alabama State volleyball swept all four of the weekly Southwestern Athletic Conference honors as announced by the conference office Wednesday night.
 
Medearis won Offensive Player of the Week, junior E'laisah Young earned Newcomer of the Week, Beasley was named Setter of the Week and Belles garnered Defensive Player of the Week.
 
Bayle' Bennett Eclipses 1,000 Kills
In the match against UAB Bennett recorded her 1,000th career kill marking the fourth player to do so since 1994. Bennett has a total of 1,008 kills and is 62 kills away from breaking Rachel Smith's (2012-2015) record of 1,069.
 
Scouting Western Carolina
Western Carolina dropped its last match against Lamar University, 3-0 (22-25, 18-25, 19-25) on Aug. 31 to move to 1-2 on the season. Western Carolina's sole win came in its season opener against Georgia State, 3-1 (27-25, 27-25, 21-25, 25-23) on Aug. 30.
 
In the game against Lamar, the Catamounts were held to a .060 hitting percentage and committed 23 errors. Merry Gebel lead the way with eight kills with nine digs. Meagan Sanchez recorded a match-high 16 digs.
 
On the season, Gebel leads the team with 30 kills averaging 2.73 per set with 26 digs and a team-high seven service aces with only one service error. Madison McNally follows behind with 28 kills boasting a .257 hitting percentage.
 
Caroline Perret holds the team lead in assists (41) while Sanchez has a team-high 62 digs. The Catamounts have five players with 23 or more digs thus far.
 
Scouting Chicago State
Chicago State defeated Northern Illinois, 3-1 (19-25, 26-24, 25-17, 25-23) on Sept. 3 to earn its first win of the 2019 campaign.
 
In the match the Cougars recorded six more kills (53) than Northern Illinois but doubled the amount of Huskies blocks with 12. Kirah Williams-Shephard recorded a match-high 15 kills while Beatriz Palmieri added 12. Lacee Adams notched a double double in 22 assists and 10 digs alongside a match-high three service aces.
 
On the season, Williams-Shephard leads the team with 47 kills averaging 3.36 kills per set. Adams paces the team in digs with 52 (3.25/set). 
 
Scouting Cal State-Fullerton
Cal State-Fullerton slipped past Idaho for nail-biting 3-1 (27-25, 27-25, 18-25, 25-23) win to improve to 2-1 on the season.
 
In the match, Idaho posted a better hitting percentage (.261-.207) and had more blocks (11-9) but ultimately the Titans' 66 kills allowed them the ride home with a win. Three Cal State-Fullerton players recorded a double double in Julia Crawford (17 kills, 19 digs), Felicia Marshall (20 kills, 12 digs) and Elizabeth Schuster (44 assists, 13 digs).
 
On the season, Crawford leads the team with 144 kills averaging 4.00 per set with 129 digs (3.58/set) and 12 blocks. Defensively, Savahna Costello leads the team with 198 digs averaging 5.50 per set and Nicole Shuhandler paces the team in blocks with 48.
 
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