NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Alcorn State University volleyball program fell in all three matches Friday and Saturday at the Tennessee State Tournament in Kean Hall.
Freshman Fiapaipai Iosia earned All-Tournament honors for the second consecutive tournament. Iosia and junior Alondra Rivera Modesto led the Lady Braves in the tourney with 16 kills each, followed by junior Singryd Valadares with 13. Freshman Jasmine Chambers tallied 37 assists and freshman Daharri Thompkins served a pair of aces.
On defense, Iosia had a team-high 28 digs and freshman Kaylyn Latin was close behind with 21. Thompkins registered three blocks.
Tennessee State | Sept. 1| L, 0-3 (8-25, 18-25, 14-25)
TSU (2-3) and Alcorn were close early in set one, but the Lady Tigers used a 10-1 run to pull away 16-6. After the Lady Braves earned a pair of points on TSU errors, the hosts scored nine unanswered for the early 1-0 lead.
In set two, Alcorn knotted the score at 4-4 early, but the Lady Tigers slowly pulled away. With the hosts up 18-14, TSU received four-straight points and held on to go up 2-0 in the match.
The Lady Tigers broke open the final set with a 5-0 run early. A pair of 3-0 runs later in the set allowed TSU to claim the straight-set victory.
Florida International | Sept. 1| L, 0-3 (23-25, 12-25, 13-25)
Alcorn took on FIU (1-3) Friday afternoon, with the Panthers claiming their first win of the season. The opening set featured seven ties. As FIU pulled the score to an even 18-18, a kill and an Alcorn attack error put the Panthers in control. The teams then went back-and-forth to close out an exciting set that saw FIU earn the 1-0 lead.
The Panthers used 10-0 runs in the next two sets and didn't allow the Lady Braves to get back into the match.
New Orleans | Sept. 2| L, 0-3 (13-25, 20-25, 16-25)
UNO (4-2) and Alcorn squared off for the second time of the season on Saturday. The Lady Braves held an early 5-3 advantage in the opening set, but the Privateers evened the score at 5-5. After a Valadares kill knotted the score at 6-6, UNO took off with nine unanswered and claimed the set 25-13 for the 1-0 lead.
In set two, the Privateers jumped out to a 9-3 lead. Alcorn was able to trim the lead to 21-17 and then 24-20, but UNO scored a kill for the set point.
Both teams were neck and neck in the final set, with a Thompkins kill cutting UNO's lead to 16-14. A 6-0 run by the Privateers helped close out the set, however, and UNO took the match in straight sets.
Alcorn returns the Davey L. Whitney Complex Tuesday as the Lady Braves host Jacksonville State for a 1 p.m. contest. The team will celebrate Faculty Appreciation, with faculty members who have helped the Lady Braves during their time at Alcorn being recognized at the 10 minute intermission.
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