MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama State University women's volleyball team returned home for the first time since its upset win over rival Alabama A&M, but couldn't find that same magic against the Florida A&M Rattlers, who picked up a 3-0 victory on Friday night in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action inside Lockhart Gymnasium.
The Lady Hornets (6-18, 4-7 SWAC) had a tall task against the top team in the conference, and minimal rhythm was found on the night against the Rattlers (15-9, 10-1 SWAC), who stayed hot and stretched its winning streak to nine games in a row while extending its successful stretch against ASU to three consecutive games. The set results were 25-16, 25-17 and 25-21.
The first set saw FAMU go on many unanswered runs, and while early errors gave the Hornets a three-point lead, the road team claimed each of the final three points to finish off the opening set.
The second frame was no different, as ASU got behind the eight ball early and tough opposing plays turned into either errors or kills for a big lead at the halfway point, and while the Hornets took advantage of several attack errors to cut the score down to 19-15, the Rattlers surged ahead on a 6-2 run to close things out.
Alabama State played well in the early part of the final set, holding tight with Florida A&M through its many tough attacks, with the two teams committing just one error over a stretch of 12 points. FAMU started pulling away with a 6-2 run, only for the Hornets to respond with seven points of their own to get a three-point advantage with
Lyric Edwards at the service line. A successful, 6-1 comeback to finish things out for Florida A&M finished things off, as back-to-back ace serves put the Hornets away.
Kamrynn Clay had 27 assists to pace the team, adding three digs and a kill for ASU.
Alexis Williams led the way with 13 kills, while
Mirra Riddle (8),
Taylor Williams (5) and
Aliyah Pooler (5) each played roles in the receiving game. The Rattlers led the way in most team statistics, although it only held a small, 29-25 edge in digs.
The Lady Hornets finish off the weekend in Lockhart Gymnasium with a contest against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats on Sunday, Nov. 1 at noon before heading back on the road for matches against Mississippi Valley State on Friday, Nov. 6 and Jackson State on Sunday, Nov. 8 as conference play is coming down the home stretch in the next two weeks.
