To say that the Alabama State and Jackson State women’s volleyball teams know each other would be a vast understatement.
During the 2013 season, the SWAC teams met four times with the Lady Hornets winning three of those encounters in tight-knit, heart-pumping volleyball matches. Two of those matches went a lengthier four sets and the other two went the distance of five sets.
As Alabama State ventured into the state of Mississippi for the first of three SWAC match ups on Thursday night, they didn’t need that much volleyball this time.
The Lady Hornets came away with a straight sets 3-0 victory (25-20, 25-21, and 25-13) at Jackson State in a rather brisk one hour and 26 minutes.
Junior Tiara Kelley followed up her big performance against Alabama A&M last Friday with another solid match by leading ASU (6-15 overall, 2-0 SWAC) with a team-high seven kills.
The name of the game was defense on the net for ASU.
Collectively, Alabama State had 15.5 total team blocks with eight different players accounting for at least one block. Amber Bennett had seven blocks, Myla Marshall stuffed five, Briana Dorsey added four while Rachel Smith and Chelsey Scott accounted for three blocks apiece. Kelley, Brooke Beasley and Khryssnee Madison each had one block.
Alabama State did just enough to take each of the first two sets, but then poured it on in the final set by producing a match-best .350 team hitting percentage. After 12 ties and five lead changes in the first two sets, there was only one tie and no lead changes in the third set.
Jackson State (4-17 overall, 1-1 SWAC) was led by Jasmine Knight, who had 10 kills, seven digs and two blocks.
