TROY, Ala. | Alabama State dropped 3-0 a midweek matchup against Troy in the Trojan Arena on Tuesday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The opening set began with the two teams trading points before Troy went on a run to gain an early 8-3 lead.
- After an Alabama State timeout, junior Mahogany Vinson (Richton Park, Ill.) quieted the crowd with her first kill of the match, followed later by a kill from A'Nylah Cobb (Tallahassee, Fla.) to put the score at 9-5.
- Troy responded with another run, this time to take control of the set, going up 17-9 and later 21-13 to cause a second called timeout from the Hornets.
- Alabama State fought out of the break with kills from Cobb and fellow Tallahassee native Jada Rhodes, but could not gain ground on the comeback effort, falling 25-15 in the first.
- In the second set, both the Hornets and Trojans struggled early with errors, as the teams were knotted at 5-5 before Alabama State took their second lead of the set at 8-5.
- Troy responded with a comeback effort, taking a 15-13 lead into the media timeout, and extended their lead after the break, taking a 25-17 win in set two.
- The third set was a hard-fought battle, with the teams finding themselves tied 12 times along with four lead changes in the frame.
- Trailing 5-4, setter McKenzie Boland (Stockbridge, Ga.) recorded two straight aces, sparking a run along with Trojan errors to give the Hornets an 11-7 lead.
- Troy battled back in the set, tying the score at 12-12 and the teams traded scores for the remainder, with neither side earning more than a two-point lead until the Trojans took a 23-20 lead late and took the match with a final in set three of 25-22.
MATCH NOTES
- Alabama State started their tenth different starting lineup of the season (Bates, Beasley, Belles, Cobb, Hughes, Rhodes, Vinson)
- Alexis Ratliff (Atlanta, Ga.) and Lauren Hughes (Lancaster, Texas) led the Hornets offensively on the night, both with six kills and a .545 kill percentage.
- Emersen Belles (Gilbert, Ariz.) recorded double-digit digs against the Trojans, her second such game in four contests this season.
- Both Madison Beasley (Gilbert, Ariz.) and McKenzie Boland logged 13 assists, with Beasley adding two digs and Boland adding two aces and a dig.
UP NEXT
Alabama State (0-10) will conclude their 13-game season opening road stretch this weekend as they travel to Statesboro, Georgia to play in a tournament hosted by Georgia Southern. The Hornets will face the Eagles on Friday morning, while facing USC-Upstate that afternoon and concluding with Mercer on Saturday morning.
Follow the Hornets
For complete coverage of Alabama State University volleyball, follow the Hornets on social media @BamaStateVB (Twitter), /BamaStateSports (Facebook), @BamaStateSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Alabama State athletics at BamaStateSports.com.