LORMAN, Miss. – The Alcorn State University volleyball program earned a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Mississippi College Wednesday night at E.E. Simmons Gymnasium. The Lady Braves fell to Tougaloo College in the first match of the day and opened the week with a conference loss to Mississippi Valley State on Monday.
"The difference tonight was our belief in the process and executing as a team," said head coach Chelsey Lucas. "The energy from the crowd was exciting. Playing in front of a large crowd and having a young team continue to battle says a lot. The girls handled the pressure well. We're a good team, but we have been lacking some discipline."
Junior Singryd Valadares reached double-digit kills in each match and racked up 42 kills to lead the Lady Braves on the week. Freshman Jasmine Chambers finished with 72 assists, freshman Fiapaipai Iosia served five aces, and freshman Octavia Dixon and senior Brittney Dumas each served four aces. Defensively, Iosia recorded 72 digs and Valadares made seven blocks.
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Mississippi Valley State | L, 0-3 (18-25, 13-25, 16-25)
Valadares led the Lady Braves against the Devilettes (4-19, 2-6) with 11 digs. Chambers added 14 assists and Dixon served a pair of aces. Iosia reached double-digit digs with 12 and junior Alondra Rivera Modesto registered two blocks.
Set one was the closest, with Alcorn fighting back from a 15-8 MVSU lead with seven unanswered points. The visitors would put a halt to the run, however, and claimed the first match point with a pair of 3-0 runs.
Tougaloo College | L, 1-3 (14-25, 20-25, 25-17, 17-25)
The Lady Bulldogs (14-7) took the first match of the day Wednesday 3-1. Valadares scored 16 kills, Chambers set a season high with 32 assists, and Iosia served three aces. On defense, Iosia had a team-high 27 digs and Valadares tallied two blocks.
In set three, Tougaloo went up 4-2 before a 7-2 swing put Alcorn in control 9-6. After the guests knotted the score at 11-11, the Lady Braves used a pair of 5-0 runs to help earn a match point. In the final set, Alcorn kept it close early, but Tougaloo pulled away down the stretch to get the win.
Mississippi College | W, 3-1 (24-26, 27-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-21)
In the final match Wednesday, Valadares finished with 15 kills and Dixon followed with 10. Chambers had 26 assists and Dumas served a season-high four aces. Iosia and Valadares both set season highs with 33 digs and five blocks.
The Lady Choctaws (9-11) claimed a close first set, but Alcorn evened the match with a hard-fought set two. MC looked like it was going pull ahead 2-0 as the visitors led 23-18, but Alcorn refused to go away and used a 7-1 run to go up 25-24. After the Lady Choctaws tied the score for the fourth time, a Valadares kill and an MC attack error gave Alcorn its first match point.
Through the next three matches, the two teams continued to trade the lead, but the Lady Braves were able to put each set away to earn the victory.
Alcorn returns to action next Tuesday as the Lady Braves host Wiley College and William Carey in another Tri-Match. The matches mark the team's "Lacing Up 4 Pediatric Cancer" games, with the Lady Braves raising money to donate to Go4thegoal, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children battling cancer. Fans are encouraged to wear yellow to the games.
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