HOUSTON, Texas. - The Alcorn State University volleyball program opens conference play this weekend as the team heads to Houston, Texas for the SWAC Volleyball Round-Up, hosted by Texas Southern.
"I am definitely excited about starting conference play," said head coach Chelsey Lucas. "We were picked ninth in the preseason poll, but I don't believe that's where we are going to finish. We've played against some great competition this year which has prepared us going into this weekend."
Entering the Round-Up, junior Singryd Valadares leads the Lady Braves with 90 kills and is tied with fellow junior Alondra Rivera Modesto with 16 blocks. Freshman Fiapaipai Iosia, named the SWAC Newcomer of the Week on Tuesday, has 84 kills and a team-high 195 digs. Freshman Jasmine Chambers owns 232 assists and freshman Octavia Dixon has served 14 aces.
Texas Southern | Sept. 22 | 10 a.m.
The Lady Tigers are hosts this weekend and enter the tournament with a 2-5 record overall. TSU earned a 3-2 win over Incarnate Word on Sept 16 and is coming off a 3-1 decision over St. Thomas (Texas) on Monday.
Nicole Robinson leads the offense with 51 kills, followed by Alexis Austin with 45. Asia Howard is the go-to setter with 96 assists and Valencia Grayson has served seven aces. Defensively, Grayson has recorded 69 digs and Robinson has made 29 blocks.
Friday marks the 21st meeting in the all-time series, with TSU holding a slight 11-9 edge. The Lady Tigers took both matches last season.
Southern | Sept. 22 | 7 p.m.
The Lady Jaguars are 0-9 on the season and fell to Alabama, Troy, and Murray State at the University of Alabama Invitational Sept. 15-16.
Paige Hall paces the SU attack with 50 kills, with Vaterra Calais contributing 93 assists and four aces. On the defensive side of the net, Brianna Hawkins has 45 digs and Arabella Hall adds 23 blocks.
Alcorn and Southern will meet for the 56th time on Friday. The Lady Jaguars lead the series 35-20 and took both contests last year.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Sept. 23 | 12:30 p.m.
The Lady Lions are 1-12 this season with a straight-set victory over Central Baptist on Aug. 29. UAPB competed in the University of Northern Colorado Hampton Inn Classic on Sept. 15-16, falling to South Dakota, Air Force, and the host Bears.
Kendalle Howard and Lauren Corby have 185 and 156 kills respectively to lead the team on offense. Britney Sahlmann owns 542 assists while Howard and Courtney Brand have each served 26 aces. Brand's 269 digs and Taylor Burrall's 72 blocks lead UAPB on defense.
The Lady Braves hold a 25-10 lead in the all-time series, with Saturday's match marking the 36th meeting in the all-time series. The Lady Lions did take both matches last season, though.
Grambling State | Sept. 23 | 3 p.m.
GSU is 4-10 entering this weekend and won a five-set thriller Monday night against Centenary. The team also has wins over Tougaloo, Jarvis Christian (Texas), and Texas A&M International.
Chastity Nicks and Kevreion Ward pace the team offensively with 120 and 114 kills respectively. L'Muriell Thrower and Diemend Richardson have 192 and 175 assists, while Ward has served a team-high 14 aces. On defense, Erineka Mollere leads GSU with 220 digs and Desiree Bishop has registered 34 blocks.
Alcorn and Grambling State meet for the 72nd time on Saturday, with the Lady Tigers ahead 49-22 in the series. GSU took both matches in 2016.
Prairie View A&M | Sept. 24 | 12:30 p.m.
The Lady Panthers are 0-4 this season after falling to Lamar in straight sets on Tuesday. Prairie View is led on offense by Taylor Goudeau's 38 kills and Mykaeli Franklins's 47 assists. On defense, Christen Augustine has 42 digs with Latrice Brown and Goudeau adding seven blocks each.
Prairie View holds a 22-9 lead in the series heading into the 32nd meeting between the two programs on Sunday. The Lady Panthers won both games a year ago.
"Mentally I know that we are prepared," added Lucas. "Physically, I definitely know that we are prepared because we have been playing doubleheaders and back-to-back games. That said, this weekend is going to be very intense. We need to stay locked in and battle."
#FearTheBrave
Â
