BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Alabama State University women's volleyball team finished its non-conference slate of games with a pair of strong performances on Saturday, first in a 3-2 defeat to the Stetson Hatters in the morning, and then with a competitive 3-0 loss to the Florida Atlantic Owls in the afternoon slot.
The Lady Hornets (2-11 overall) punched above its expectations on Saturday, putting double-digit points on the board in all eight sets and pushing a pair of sets past the final limit. Unfortunately, those sets – the final ones in each of the two matches – went the way of ASU's opponents, as the Hatters (4-7) had a 17-15 fifth set to hang on, while a longer, 29-27 third-set battle was needed by the tournament host Owls (7-4) to put away ASU in the third set.
Match 1: Stetson 3, Alabama State 2
Despite nearly all the major team statistics favoring Bama State, things just ended up bouncing the right way for the Hatters in its third win over a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) team this season.
However, it wasn't all in favor of the Hatters, even from the jump. The Hornets jumped out to an early 6-0 lead thanks to the serving of libero
Mirra Riddle and successful attacking, led by
Alexis Williams. From there, it held Stetson in check, forcing them into numerous attack errors while capitalizing on poor defense in a resounding 25-13 first-frame win.
The Hatters returned the favor in set two, 25-17, but the middle set featured a much more competitive contest from both sides. ASU built a small lead from the beginning before it was put out with a six-point Stetson run to go up 10-6. The Hornets played from a short distance for the rest of the set, bringing the set within one on back-to-back points to make it 24-23 before Stetson ended it to gain a 2-1 advantage.
The Lady Hornets didn't give in after being put up against the wall. The Hatters jumped out to a 4-1 lead, only for Alabama State to rally shortly thereafter with seven unanswered points, three of which came from
Makeda Edwards' kills to go up 10-6. Similar to an inverse situation in the last set, Stetson was forced to play catch-up the rest of the way, although they didn't make it as close, being finished off with a pair of Edwards kills to force the fifth set.
The final set featured two-, three-, and four-point swings by each team, including a significant 4-0 run to put Stetson up 10-7. Alabama State put up a five-point run with a pair of
Taylor Williams aces to go up 13-12, and while there were a handful of opportunities to close it out, Stetson went on a 5-2 tear to close out the match.
Edwards had a strong game with 24 kills to lead the team, while middle blocker
Kaylen Hines had 14 kills and six blocks.
Kamrynn Clay secured 51 of the team's 57 assists to go along with 13 digs, while Riddle had 21 digs and a trio of aces to lead the team. ASU held a 10-5 advantage in aces and an 83-68 edge in points, although Stetson came away with the win with the right points in the most critical moments.
Match 2: Florida Atlantic 3, Alabama State 0
The scoreboard turned out to be deceiving, as the Hornets battled in all three sets in the straight-set loss to the Owls. Similar to the first game, the team had success from the service line and in the receiving game, but it ended up being all for naught in the end.
FAU sprinted to a 6-1 lead, and while
Makeda Edwards anchored a three-point run in the middle of the set and a 4-of-5 point stretch put up to try to stay competitive in the end, FAU ended up controlling the opening frame. The second set ended similarly, as while Alabama State got a 4-1 lead quickly, it hung on until a 5-1 stretch by the Owls turned the momentum as the hosts went up 2-0.
The third set was extremely competitive for both sides, with ASU starting off with a 4-2 stretch held up by back-to-back
Taylor Williams aces. The Hornets proceeded to rally back from a pair of dominant FAU stretches, pulling even at 16 with a pair of Riddle aces, while three Hines kills stretched the tie to 18-all. Back-and-forth battles ensued for the next four points, until the Hornets doubled up and forced set point with an Edwards kill. After setting its sights on a set victory, the Owls closed things out with a 5-2 finish to cap off its three-set win.
Edwards once again led the team in kills (11) while also serving up an ace. Riddle led the team with five aces while posting six digs on the afternoon, as
Taylor Williams led the team in digs (9) to pair with two ace serves. Clay had 17 of the 28 team assists in a losing effort.
The Lady Hornets look ahead to a pair of SWAC games in Florida to open conference play, first facing Florida A&M in Tallahassee on Friday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. before traveling to Daytona Beach to battle Bethune-Cookman the following Sunday, Sept. 27 at noon. Its SWAC home opener will take place inside Lockhart Gymnasium against Mississippi Valley State on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m.
