ARLINGTON, Texas | For the first time since 2017, the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship trophy is making the trek to Montgomery after Alabama State finished off bracket play with a 4-3 victory over Southern at the ITRC on Sunday afternoon.

"This was a long time coming," Alabama State head coach Andrew Chatmon said after the match. "The girls really bought in and trusted one another. They committed to the process and just out executed Southern.

Alabama State (92-47) dropped just one match over the weekend finishing 7-1 in their eight matches and going undefeated in bracket play with wins over Florida A&M (4-1) and Prairie View A&M (4-3) to set the stage for the championship match. The top-seeded Hornets dropped the first game of the day to Southern (178-152) falling behind 1-0 before winning game two by six pins (177-171) to even the match. Alabama State took the lead after game three with a 223-178 victory, before the Jags evened things up with a 161-159 victory to set the stage for the final run.

With the two teams tied, Southern won game five by a score of 166-163 forcing the Hornets into a must win in game six or face a winner-take-all match. Alabama State responded by winning game six 222-179 before running away in game seven. Much winner's bracket final, Alabama State left little doubt of the outcome as they pulled away for a 48-pin victory (224-176) to claim the championship.

The tournament title is the second for the Hornets in school history, claiming the first in 2017 after dropping the regular season crown to Prairie View A&M, and on the season, Alabama State went 58-12 against conference competition.

Alabama State will find out their opening round opponent and regional site on the NCAA Selection Show that takes place Wednesday, March 30. The show will air on NCAA.com.
 
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