LORMAN, Miss. - Senior setter Sydney Mellom recorded her first double-double and eight Alcorn State University volleyball student athletes recorded multiple kills en route to a 3-0 sweep (25-18, 25-22, 25-21) versus Mississippi Valley State University Friday evening inside the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
"The general attitude on the team is definitely positive right now," said first-year head coach Chelsey Lucas-Nicholas. "I know they realize now that they can play and compete with the best."
Mellom and fellow senior Carol Kiam-Assato combined for seven of the team's 10 service aces. Kiam-Assato dug 19 balls as she anchored the backline for the Lady Braves (2-12, 1-4 SWAC). Junior Brittney Dumas led Alcorn offensively with nine kills while fellow junior Dnada Smith added four.
The Lady Braves relied heavily on Dumas and junior Heather Jackson in the first set as each student-athlete provided four kills. After a service error put Alcorn ahead 13-12, Kiam-Assato served an ace that prompted four straight points to put the set out of reach for the Lady Devilettes (2-14, 0-6 SWAC).
Late in the second set at 19-17, Alcorn pushed three straight points to pull away once again. MVSU tightened the set at 23-22 before back-to-back attack errors gave the Lady Braves a 2-0 advantage.
The Lady Braves found a way to get it done in the third and deciding set, turning a 21-20 advantage into a 25-21 victory as the Lady Devilettes committed four errors in the final five points of the match.
Alcorn held a 10-2 service aces advantage and Lucas-Nicholas was extremely proud of the way her team passed the ball during serve-receive.
"In practice, we strive to get our serves in and serve tough. The aces were a positive but our passing was awesome. The passing was really good today."
The Lady Braves return to the Whitney Complex tomorrow against defending SWAC champion Jackson State in a 1 p.m. match.
#FearTheBrave
