BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Senior middle hitter
Kaylen Hines and junior setter
Kamrynn Clay of the Alabama State University women's volleyball team continue their run of dominance in the 2026 season, collecting more Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) weekly hardware after stellar individual outings over the three matches this past week, the conference announced Tuesday evening.
Clay, the reigning SWAC Setter of the Year, earned her fourth Setter of the Week award and her second in the past two weeks, while Hines, the person benefitting from many of her assists, while Hines, a First Team All-SWAC Middle Blocker in 2025, earned her first weekly honor of the season after an outstanding three-game performance for Bama State. The tandem served as pivotal pieces in the team's victories over Alabama A&M and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, while they gave it their all in the Sunday contest with Grambling State.
Clay continued her domination as the team's trusty assist master, recording a combined 142 assists across 12 sets, averaging nearly 12 assists per set while committing no errors and adding 34 digs and seven assists on the three-match week.
Her best performance came in a four-set outing against Alabama A&M, as she notched a double-double with a season-high 56 assists to go along with 16 digs and a service ace in the team's 3-1 win over the Bulldogs in front of a raucous home crowd inside Lockhart Gymnasium.
Clay continues to have a strong grip at the top of the conference's setter statistical leaderboards, retaining the top spot in total assists (756), a mark that is in the top 50 in the country, while maintaining her career-best assists per set mark of 8.89, which is over an assist per set more than her high-water mark from her SWAC Setter of the Year campaign a season ago.
Receiving many of Clay's flawless sets was Hines, who led Alabama State's attack with 53 kills and four total blocks. The South Holland, Ill., native averaged 4.41 kills per set, landing well over a quarter of her attacks for the Black and Gold.
Hines had her third and fourth 20-kill games of the season this week, with a 20-kill, two-block effort in the Alabama A&M victory followed up by another 20-kill game in the four-match meeting with Grambling State.
Hines is third in the SWAC in kills per set (3.38), points per set (3.94) and total points (334.5), while placing fourth in total kills (287) on the season. The South Holland, Ill., native has continued her strong play and has served as a valuable piece of ASU's front line in the team's recent stretch of success.
The Lady Hornets (6-17, 4-6 SWAC) have another challenging week in SWAC play, as it will face two of the top three teams in the SWAC standings in Florida A&M (Friday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m.) and Bethune-Cookman (Sunday, Nov. 1 at noon). Lucky for them, it has the advantage of the friendly confines of Lockhart Gymnasium in its favor, where it will welcome both the Rattlers and the Wildcats this coming week.
