MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Alabama State swept conference rival Alabama A&M on Friday afternoon 3-0 in their first home match of the year in the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The two teams battled it out in the opening set, with the teams exchanging leads multiple times and found the game tied at 10-10.
• Alabama State retook the lead with a kill from Jada Rhodes (Tallahassee, Fla.), which started a Hornet run and they never trailed again in the set.
• The Bulldogs battled back however, eventually tying the score late at 22-22, before Rhodes ended the set with another kill to give the Hornets the 25-23 win in the first.
• After the Bulldogs earned the first score off an error, Alabama State dominated the set, going on a major run to go up 12-4 and force an Alabama A&M timeout.
• The Hornets continued to control the momentum after the break, including forcing the Bulldogs into errors, and took the second 25-6.
• The third set was more of the same, this time with Alabama State never trailing, as they dominated after halftime by a score of 25-9 to take the sweep in front of the home fans.

MATCH NOTES

• Rhodes led the Hornets offensively with 10 kills, her fourth consecutive double-digit kill game to go along with six digs and two aces.
• Junior Emersen Belles (Gilbert, Ariz.) recorded a season-high 18 digs on the night, and chipped in one assist and an ace, while junior Alexis Ratliff (Atlanta, Ga.) also had a big night offensively with eight kills.
• With Friday's win over the Bulldogs, the Hornets earned their first sweep of the season, and first in conference play.

UP NEXT
Alabama State (2-12) will return to the court on Sunday afternoon with another home match, this time against Southeastern Conference opponent Auburn, scheduled for 3 pm.

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