TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Alabama State University volleyball team opened Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play on the road Friday night, falling to the Florida A&M Rattlers, 3-1, inside the Al Lawson Center in Northern Florida.
The Hornets (2-12, 0-1 SWAC) were heavily challenged from the jump and couldn't fight back against a steady attack from the Rattlers (6-8, 1-0 SWAC), who have now won back-to-back games for the second time this season. Alabama State claimed its only set in the second frame (25-22), while FAMU picked up the other three to claim the match (25-14 in set one, 25-16 in set three and 25-22 in set four).
FAMU sprinted out to a seven-point lead from the outset, but
Taylor Williams and
Kamrynn Clay each served into strong rallies that favored ASU and brought the visitors within three. After that, the Hornets scored just five more points, as the Rattlers ended the opening frame on a 6-0 run to take set one.
The Lady Hornets responded with a 5-0 start thanks to
Taylor Williams' serving and two kills each from
Alexis Williams and
Kaylen Hines, the latter of whom served another 5-0 stretch to make it 10-4. The teams traded points for the remainder of the match, as ASU held off a brief rally from its opponents to draw even.
Unfortunately for Alabama State, that would be all the success it would find on the evening. It briefly controlled the early portion of the third frame, but a strong Rattler attack got past the Hornet defense and secured a set-three win, while a late Hornet comeback from an early 9-0 deficit wasn't enough in the final battle.
Hines led the team in kills (14) and aces (3) on the day, while
Alexis Williams also posted double-digit kills (12) in one of her stronger outings of the year. Clay showed why she is the reigning SWAC Setter of the Year as she does on a regular basis, dishing up 31 set assists without an error. Junior
Mirra Riddle tallied 18 digs, while attackerÂ
Lyric Edwards had nine kills and a block in a losing effort.
The two teams matched each other in ace serves with eight apiece, and FAMU held slight advantages in digs (58-50), assists (61-46) and kills (64-47).
The Lady Hornets will look to pull a win out of its Florida trip when it travels to Bethune-Cookman on Sunday, Sept. 27 for its second SWAC contest. Start time is set for 12 p.m. Eastern Time in Moore Gymnasium. ASU will return home on October 15 for a matchup with Mississippi Valley State at 6 p.m.
