MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Alcorn State University volleyball program makes the trip to Montgomery, Ala. this weekend for another SWAC Round-Up, this time hosted by Alabama State. The Lady Braves open with a 10 a.m. meeting with Texas Southern Friday.
"This weekend we need to have a winning mentality and play with focus," said head coach Chelsea Lucas. "We need to make sure when we get there we maintain our discipline. We're able to win games in a match, but we have to finish and continue to battle. No one is going to give us a win. We're a skilled team, but at times our mental side is weak."
Junior Singryd Valadres has established herself offensively and leads the team with 195 kills. Freshmen Fiapaipai Iosia and Daharri Thompkins follow with 116 kills each. Freshman Jasmine Chambers owns 438 assists and Iosia has served 32 aces. On defense, Valadares leads Alcorn with 40 blocks and Iosia has 422 digs to rank fourth in the league (3.84 per set).
Texas Southern | Oct. 22 | 10 a.m.
The Lady Tigers (9-8, 6-3) hosted the last SWAC Round-Up Sept. 22-24 and met the Lady Braves in the opening match. TSU broke open an 18-18 tie in set one with a 7-1 run to claim the first match point. The hosts then took set two courtesy of a 6-0 run, but trailed Alcorn in the third set early. TSU reclaimed the lead, however, using an 8-1 run to seal the win.
Junior Alondra Rivera Modesto finished with seven kills, followed by freshman Octavia Dixon and Iosia with four each. Chambers recorded a 10-assist, 11-dig double-double and freshman Kaylyn Latin contributed 15 digs.
Southern | Oct. 20 | 7 p.m.
Alcorn fell to the Lady Jaguars (5-13, 5-3) in straight sets on Sept. 22. After Southern took the first set, the Lady Braves found themselves leading 20-12 in set two. SU scored eight unanswered to knot the score and Alcorn looked to claim the match point at 24-21, but the Lady Jaguars refused to go away with a 5-0 run that put them ahead 2-0. In the final set, Southern took a 14-4 lead and capped off the match with 11-straight points.
Freshman Joeli Warren-Smith scored five kills, Chambers chipped in 11 assists, and freshman Omone Davies served a pair of aces. Defensively, Warren-Smith and Valadares both earned a block assist and freshman Mae Lewis and Iosia combined for 23 digs.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Oct. 21 | 12:30 p.m.
The Lady Lions (5-16, 4-4) are coming off a 3-1 win at Prairie View A&M on Monday. UAPB and Alcorn met on day two of the previous Round-Up, with the Lady Lions posting a 3-0 decision. Arkansas-Pine Bluff led from start to finish, but Alcorn put up a fight in set two. Down 21-15, the Lady Braves closed the gap with a 5-0 run highlighted by three-straight kills by Iosia. After the teams traded points, three consecutive Alcorn errors gave UAPB the set.
Thompkins paced the Alcorn attack with eight kills. Warren-Smith chipped in seven and Iosia added six. Chambers earned 19 assists with three blocks, Latin served an ace, and Iosia recorded 13 digs.
Grambling State | Oct. 21 | 3 p.m.
The Lady Tigers (9-16, 3-4) took a Sept. 23 meeting with the Lady Braves 3-0. The Lady Braves scored the first six points in set one and went up 19-10. The Lady Tigers were able to cut the lead to 22-21 on a 9-2 run. Alcorn looked to claim the set point at 24-21, but Grambling tied the score at 24-24. The teams then traded points before a Grambling kill and back-to-back errors gave the Lady Tigers the 1-0 match lead. GSU then controlled the remainder of the match.
The Lady Braves were paced by Thompkins' eight kills, followed by Rivera Modesto with seven and Iosia with six. Dumas finished with 19 assists and Iosia served two aces. Freshman Ashley Samuel recorded a pair of blocks and Latin made 11 digs.
Prairie View A&M | Oct. 22 | 10:00 a.m.
Alcorn met the Lady Panthers (3-13, 3-6) in its final match of the Round-Up in Houston earlier this year, with the Lady Braves winning their first set in league play. Set one was close, but the Lady Panthers scored six unanswered late. In set two, Alcorn tied the score at 22-22 and the teams proceeded to trade points. Down 25-24, the Lady Braves benefited from three straight PVAMU errors. The Lady Panthers won the final two sets to seal the win.
Valadares scored six kills and Chambers added five with 13 assists. Dumas and freshman Alicia Johnson each served three aces. Warren-Smith set a season high with six blocks and totaled 17 digs.
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