Lady Braves Pull Out Five Set Thriller over JSU

LORMAN, Miss. – It came down to the last few points Thursday evening, and the Alcorn State University volleyball program was able to find a way to take down Jackson State 3-2 (13-25, 25-21, 25-17, 20-25, 15-13) at the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
 
The Lady Braves (9-12, 5-12 SWAC) defeated a JSU (11-21, 9-6 SWAC) squad that entered the night in third-place in the SWAC standings.
 
"It feels great to win a tight match like this. I'm proud of the team for how we battled and competed. Not every point went our way, but we showed that we're cable of beating the top teams in the league," said Alcorn head coach Chelsey Lucas.
 
Senior Alondra Rivera Modesto turned in a huge night with 22 kills, including on match point and hit for a .395 percentage. Sophomore Mae Lewis also attacked for double-figures with 13 kills.
 
Alcorn's two-setter system prevailed as junior Barbara Cabo notched 33 assists and freshman Jurnee Calhoun ended with 13. Sophomore Fiapaipai Iosia dug up 21 balls in the back line.
 
The Lady Tigers were guided by 15 kills from Tielar Richards. Camry Dabney killed 12 balls, and Priscilla Sanchez finished with a double-double of 20 assists and 11 digs.
 
The Lady Braves got off to a slow start in the match and dropped the first set 25-13. Though, they quickly responded in the second and got off to a quick 7-3 start after a kill by freshman Sydney Joseph. After JSU came back to tie it 12-12, Alcorn went on a big 6-0 run to leap in front 18-12 which included a pair of aces by Cabo. The Lady Tigers tried to crawl back in it at 23-20, but an attack error and a service error ended the frame and evened the match.
 
In the third, Alcorn led 11-10 when it reeled off eight consecutive points to take a big 19-11 edge on the serve of Iosia. The run included a pair of kills by Joseph. After JSU cut it to 21-16, Alcorn called timeout, and then won the next three points which included a kill by Thompkins to hold a 24-16 lead. The Lady Braves won the set on a block-assist by Lewis and freshman Simone Barren.
 
JSU jumped in front early in the fourth set, and the Lady Braves were playing catch-up the rest of the way. It started near the beginning as the Lady Tigers turned a slight 7-6 lead into a 15-10 edge. The closest Alcorn came was 21-18 after a kill by Lewis, but JSU held onto its advantage until the end. A kill by Kanile'a Nomura sent the match to a fifth set.
 
In the deciding frame, the Lady Tigers held leads of 4-1, 5-2 and 7-4 before Alcorn got back in it. The Lady Braves tied it 7-7 on a kill by Lewis and a pair of JSU's errors. The Lady Braves took their first lead of the set, 9-8 on another error and extended it to 12-9 on a spike by Modesto. After JSU came back to tie it 12-12, the Lady Braves won the next two points on a kill by Modesto and a block by Thompkins. On match point, a long rally ended when Modesto dug up a ball that went over the net and landed on the line on the far side.
 
The Lady Braves, who are still fighting for a top-eight spot in the standings to advance to the SWAC Championships, will close out the regular season Monday when they host Mississippi Valley State at 6 p.m. on Senior Night.

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