TALLAHASSEE, Fla. | Alabama State (8-14, 6-2 SWAC) completed a 3-2 comeback win over Florida A&M on Sunday afternoon in five sets inside the Al Lawson Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The opening set began with both teams trading scores to start, with junior Alexis Ratliff (Atlanta, Ga.) earning two of the first three kills for Alabama State.
• After a 3-3 tie, Florida A&M went on a run to gain a four-point lead at 9-4 to force a Hornet timeout.
• The Rattler momentum continued out of the break, as they maintained the lead until a response from Alabama State to tie the game at 17-17.
• The teams stayed within a point of each other throughout the remainder of the set before Florida A&M took the game with a kill and ace to win the opener 27-25.
• The second set also began as a tight battle before the Rattlers gained a 9-5 lead before the first Alabama State timeout.
• Florida A&M continued their run after the stoppage and ran out to a 17-8 lead before blocks from Mahogany Vinson (Richton Park, Ill.) and Ratliff and a kill from Lauren Hughes (Lancaster, Texas) made the score 21-10.
• Alabama State clawed back to close the gap to single digits after kills from Jada Rhodes (Tallahassee, Fla.) and a Rattler error, however Florida A&M finished the set moments later 25-14.
• The Rattlers jumped out to an early 9-4 lead again in the third set and maintained a 16-11 lead going into the second timeout for Alabama State.
• After the break, junior Kalysia Bates (Phenix City, Ala.) sparked a run from the Hornets to tie the ball game at 16-16 and later took a 18-16 lead to force a timeout from Florida A&M, however Alabama State finished the set to extend the match with a 25-17 win.
• The Hornets started slow again in the fourth, falling down as many as nine points on two occasions.
• Trailing 20-11, Alabama State went on a 9-4 to pull within three points and forced the second Rattler timeout of the set.
• Rhodes got the first kill out of the break, while three straight kills from Bates followed by a block assist gave the Hornets their first lead of the set and went on to take the fourth 27-25.
• After finding themselves trailing to start once again in the fifth and final set, Alabama State called an early timeout down 3-0.
• Vinson sparked a Hornet run with two straight kills out of the break, helping Alabama State storm out to a 10-6 lead.
• After a slight response from the Rattlers, Alabama State closed out the match with three more kills from Vinson in the set, to take the match 3-2. 

GAME NOTES

• The Hornets extended their current win streak to four games after taking both matches of the Florida road trip over the Wildcats and Rattlers.
• Rhodes led Alabama State offensively, logging with season-highs of 25 kills and 16 digs. The sophomore also earned two aces.
• Bates recorded her seventh double-digit kill game of the season, finishing with 16 kills along with four digs and two aces, while Vinson was responsible for 12 kills and five blocks on the afternoon.
• Setter McKenzie Boland (Stockbridge, Ga.) led the Hornets in assists with 34 and nine digs, while Madison Beasley (Gilbert, Ariz.) recorded her first double-double of the year with 26 assists and 10 digs.

UP NEXT
Alabama State returns to the state for action against Alabama A&M on Friday, October 22 in Huntsville. First serve in Elmore Gymnasium is scheduled for 6 pm.
 
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