TROY, Ala. – The Alabama State University women's volleyball team opened its regular season at the Troy Trojan Invitational on Friday afternoon, dropping its opening contest, 3-0, to the North Alabama Lions inside Trojan Arena.
The Hornets (0-1 overall) took the court in its first regular season contest of the 2026 season, featuring a brand new roster for the season. The squad showed its potential in spurts throughout the afternoon, as two of the sets had less than a five-point margin and the deciding set featured a 23-19 Alabama State advantage before the Lions (1-0) finished things off with a trio of kills in a straight-set victory.
The opening set featured a six-point deficit that North Alabama managed to hold throughout the frame, as neither team went on a run of more than three points in a 25-20 opener. The second set was much the same as the back half of the first, as ASU couldn't find momentum in a 25-14 contest.
What turned out to be the final set of the afternoon was the most dramatic of the three. A pair of attack errors allowed the Lady Hornets to collect two free points to start the battle, and while North Alabama had a string of four straight points to take a two-point advantage, more attack errors on the Lions' side won five out of six points to take back a two-point lead, 10-8.
A back-and-forth battle between the two teams led up to a 16-all knot, before a service run by outside hitter
Mikalah Davis gave ASU another two-point advantage. The close play continued until the Hornets led, 23-19, when the Lions sealed its sweep with a 6-0 run to end the afternoon.
Reigning Southwest Athletic Conference Setter of the Year
Kamrynn Clay led the Hornets with 26 set assists and added seven digs, while
Kaylen Hines had a team-high ten kills and 11 total points. Davis had a pair of service aces to help Alabama State match the Lions with four service aces apiece, while first-year Hornet
Mirra Riddle had a team-high 10 digs in defeat.
The Lady Hornets will seek a bounce-back outing when they face Mercer (Saturday, Aug. 29 at noon) and Troy (Sunday, Aug. 30 at 2 p.m.) to close out the weekend at the Troy Trojan Invitational.
