BUIES CREEK, N.C. | Alabama State dropped a pair of 3-0 contest to James Madison and North Carolina Central in the Pope Convocation Center as part of the Fairfield Inn and Suites Dunn Campbell Invitational on Friday.

HOW IT HAPPENED

GAME 1

• Alabama State opened the first set of the game with an ace from McKenzie Boland (Stockbridge, Ga.) and a kill from Lauren Hughes (Lancaster, Texas) to take an early 2-0 lead.
• James Madison responded with a three-point run, ended on another kill from Hughes, assisted by Boland.
• After a 4-4 tie, the Dukes began to take control of the set, scoring four unanswered before taking a commanding 20-8 lead and later winning the set 25-11.
• The second set started in a similar fashion, with both teams trading points in the early stages and Alabama State earning an early 7-4 lead.
• James Madison responded to take a 13-11 lead and forced a Hornet timeout and continued to control the momentum throughout the remainder of the set, eventually winning 25-19.
• The Dukes started the third with a dominating 13-point run to begin the set and did not slow down after the Hornets got on the board, taking the final set 25-7.

GAME 2

• North Carolina Central started out strong in the opening set of the afternoon match, opening the game with three unanswered scores and an early 8-2 lead before an Alabama State timeout.
• After the called timeout, the Hornets battled their way back into the game however could not flip the momentum and fell in the first set 25-14.
• After both teams started off well in the second set, the Eagles found a rhythm and took a 15-11 lead after an unsuccessful challenge.
• A response from the Hornets that included two service aces from Bates made it a one-point game, 16-15, forcing a Central timeout.
• After the break, Alabama State tied the score, and the teams went back and forth with lead changes until a four-point swing from the Eagles saw them take a 22-22 lead and they later took the set 25-23.
• The Hornets struggled to start the third set, trailing 4-0 before getting on the board on a ball handling error to spark a 5-2 run.
• North Carolina Central proceeded to retake control of the set, going on a run of their own to go up big, 20-9 and took home the 25-13 win to finish the match.

MATCH NOTES

• Alabama State started their fourth and fifth different starting lineup of the early season, including junior Rekiyah Spears (Germantown, Tenn.) and Hughes who both recorded their first career starts for the Hornets.
• Kalysia Bates (Phenix City, Ala.) and Jada Rhodes (Tallahassee, Fla.) both finished with ten total kills on the day, while Bates added a service ace, two digs and three total blocks. Rhodes, who also split time at libero, also logged ten digs and an assist on the day.

UP NEXT
Alabama State (0-5) will return to action on Saturday to conclude the weekend with their final game of the invitational against host school Campbell University. First serve is scheduled for 11 am (ET).

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