LORMAN, Miss. - The Alcorn State University volleyball program is back at the Davey L. Whitney Complex this Thursday as the Lady Braves host Jackson State for a 6 p.m. conference match. Both teams will incorporate red into their attire in an effort to raise awareness for AIDs and HIV.
"I'm glad that we're back at home," said head coach Chelsey Lucas. "We've been on the road for a while. We do have some people that are maturing, but we still have pieces that aren't there. At the end of the day, we have to grow up on the court. I'm just excited about Jackson State coming in and we're capable of competing with them."
Junior Singryd Valadares has 128 kills to lead the offense, followed by freshman Fiapaipai Iosia, named the SWAC Defensive Payer of the Week on Tuesday, with 107. Freshman Jasmine Chambers is the primary setter with 334 assists, while Iosia and freshman Octavia Dixon have served 17 and 16 aces respectively. On defense, Valadares and junior Alondra Rivera Modesto have combined for 43 blocks. Iosia leads the team with 291 digs, followed by freshman Kaylyn Latin with 195.
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Jackson State | Oct. 5 | 6 p.m.
The Lady Tigers (2-18, 1-4) are coming off a straight-set loss to Southern Mississippi on Monday. Amanda Modesto led JSU with six kills and seven digs, while Terri Irving contributed nine assists with six digs. Southern Miss controlled the first and third sets, but JSU battled in the second set before a 10-4 allowed the visitors to pull away.
Thursday's meeting marks the 59th meeting between the two programs, with the all-time series even at 29-29. JSU took both matches a year ago.
Monica Johnson, Coach Lucas' aunt and founder/Executive Director of HEROES, will speak during the intermission and share her story of being HIV positive for 34 years.
"I'm excited that my aunt can come in and talk about her experiences and help spread awareness with the African-American community and on college campuses," added Lucas. "For her to come out and take her time to do that, it's definitely going to be knowledgable for everyone."
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