SEATTLE, Wash. – Alabama State’s volleyball team made their first trip to the NCAA Tournament and faced the third-ranked team in the Tournament in the Huskies of Washington. The host was able to defeat ASU 3-0 (11-25, 5-25, 16-25) and the NCAA Tournament game closes the Lady Hornets’ season which turned out to be the most successful season in the history of the program.
ASU finished the season 25-16 overall after winning the program’s first Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) tournament title which also gave ASU its first berth in the NCAA Tournament. ASU went undefeated in conference play at 8-0 which gave them the East Division title.
“We couldn’t have played against a better team,” Head Coach Penny Lucas-White said. “To me you play against the best if you expect to be the best and I’m very, very proud of my young ladies. They have had a great season and they have gone out on a great note.”
Amber Bennett led the Lady Hornets with three kills against Washington while Brooke Beasley and Rachel Smith each had two. Ellyn Jones had seven assists to lead ASU and Luiza Griz, playing in her final game as a Hornet, led ASU with six digs.
“They (Washington) are so athletic, they are still having a lot of fun and I think the crowd was awesome,” Lucas-White said. “I think Jim (UW Head Coach Jim McLaughlin) has done a phenomenal job here at Washington for years. We went up to each other before the game and I told him I had been a big fan of his for years. I have always loved his system and he has done a phenomenal job.”
“You can’t say you have one good player, he has a phenomenal team and it’s a phenomenal team effort and everyone shows up to play on the Huskie team, as well as our team. I just think it is a matter of experience. They have been to the dance so many times and the level of expectation and the competition they compete with, week in and week out, is totally different from what we’re used to.”
In the first set of the game, the Huskies used three runs to pull away from ASU 25-11. The first run came with the score even at two and UW went on a 5-0 run to push the lead to 7-2. ASU actually cut the lead to 9-7 before UW goes on another 5-0 run to extend its lead to 14-7. From there the host team was able to go on a 6-0 run to end the first set.
ASU hit .095 in the first set with Beasley, Bennett, Khryssnee Madison and Dragana Cvoric picking up kills and Griz with three digs.
ASU could get nothing going in the second set as the PAC 12 Champions could do no wrong. Washington picked up 10 kills and hit .667 while ASU got kills from Myla Marshall and Smith.
The third set saw ASU score the first two points of the set, before UW scored five straight to take a 5-2 lead. The Lady Hornets never went away in the set and only trailed 18-14 and 19-15 before the Huskies were able to put the set and game away scoring six of the final seven points in the 25-16 final.
“I think this was a very, very good experience for my young team,” Lucas-White said. “It is the start of a great tradition at Alabama State. I think it is a matter of time for this young team. I am so thankful my team was exposed to this level because now I know what they are going to go back and do and how they are going to train. It is what they do away from the court during the off season that brings the benefits of what they get during the season. So I am really excited about it.”
CSM Names 14 Hornets ALL SWAC
MONTGOMERY, Ala.—College Sports Madness (CSM) has named 14 Alabama State Hornet football players to its 2013 All-Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) team.
Heading the list the ASU First-Team members is the 2013 Freshman of the Year Kourtney Berry. Joining Berry, a linebacker, on the defensive first team are defensive end Edward Mosley, punter Bobby Wenzig and fellow linebacker Leland Baker.
ASU had another three players named to the offensive first team. Isaiah Crowell was named to one of the running back positions while center Edmund Davis joins Crowell on the first team. Wenzig was also named to the first team as the punter.
The Hornets had five members named to the second team. On defense, defensive tackle Derrick Billups and defensive end Carlton Jones are joined by defensive back Deandra Rashada.
Second team offensive members are offensive lineman Tovar Allen and kick return specialist Myles Everett.
CSM also names a third team and the Hornets have three offensive players listed on that team. Running back Malcolm Cyrus leads joins fellow offensive player’s tight end Justin Robinson and offensive lineman Damian Love.
