SPARTANBURG, S.C. – While working on gelling as a team at the beginning of the 2026 season and simultaneously facing two tough tasks on Friday afternoon, the Alabama State University women's volleyball team was defeated by the West Florida Argonauts, 3-0, before losing to the South Carolina Upstate Spartans, 3-0, to conclude the USC Upstate Invitational inside the G.B. Hodge Center.
The Hornets (0-6 overall) struggled against both squads, but managed to put up a competitive set in each match. Alabama State challenged the Argonauts (3-0) in a 25-21 third set, posting nearly identical stat lines, while it carried the success over to a 25-22 opening frame against the Spartans (3-1) before falling to the hands of its opposition.
Match 1: West Florida 3, Alabama State 0
The opening two sets weren't much to write home about on the ASU side, with West Florida holding a three-point edge in the first half of the first frame before taking control with a 7-1 run, while a lead by the Lady Hornets was swiftly snatched away by the Argos and protected down the stretch to secure a two-set edge.
The final battle between the two squads ended up being worth the wait, as both teams went blow for blow, trading three-point swings while remaining more efficient than either of the two were in the prior two sets. After an 11-9 West Florida lead, two-point back-and-forth changes followed until the Hornets had a one-point lead at 18-17. From there, the Argonauts charged ahead, claiming five straight points and all but taking any remaining chance away from the Hornets.
Kaylen Hines was the leading attacker with seven kills while posting the best efficiency rating (.421) of the bunch.
Kamrynn Clay was successful on 22-of-23 set assists, while
Lyric Edwards posted seven points and a pair of block assists in defeat.
Match 2: USC Upstate 3, Alabama State 0
It appeared to be a much closer result from a set-by-set view for the Hornets, who utilized a number of different players to attack the host school's squad. Unfortunately, with the second and third sets dying out in similar fashion as the earlier match, there was little for ASU to hang its hat on in the South Carolina finale.
One thing it could be proud of was its opening set performance. USC Upstate did open with a 6-0 run, but a trio of Hines kills cut that in half, and a pair of errors later on brought things to a more manageable, three-point deficit. The Spartans would bounce back, but a five-point run – three of which came on a trio of
Taylor Williams' ace serves – put the team within a point of taking the lead with just five points to play. In the end, the advantage would hold steady for USC Upstate, giving the Spartans the confidence it needed to move forward and claim the remaining two sets.
Clay was as efficient as usual in the setting game (23 assists), while Hines and first-year Hornet
Denver Watkins each held the team lead with nine kills apiece. The team held a 6-4 edge over USC Upstate in service aces, in large part to the three compiled by
Taylor Williams in the first set.
The Lady Hornets have a solo meeting with the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs on Saturday, Sept. 5, in Boiling Springs, N.C. Competition is set to begin inside Paul Porter Arena at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.
