Women's Volleyball | 11/15/2018 11:05:00 AM

Lady Braves Primed for Postseason Action Friday against AAMU

ITTA BENA, Miss. – The upset-minded Alcorn State University women's volleyball program will enter the postseason Friday as the No. 8 seed and looking to take down top-seeded Alabama A&M at 11 a.m. in the first round of the SWAC Championships.
 
The tournament is being played on a neutral court at the Harrison Complex, hosted by Mississippi Valley State.
 
The Lady Braves (10-19, 6-12 SWAC) have peaked at the right time as they enter the match on a winning-streak. They defeated Jackson State 3-2 before sweeping Mississippi Valley State 3-0 to help clinch a postseason berth.
 
"We're heading to SWAC to play and win three matches this weekend," said Alcorn head coach Chelsey Lucas. "The goal remains the same, and that's to win a championship. We've made great strides this season and we're excited about the opportunity that lies in front of us."
 
Alcorn has been one of the top serving teams in the nation all season long. The team currently ranks second in the country in aces per set with 1.98. Individually, sophomore Fiapaipai Iosia is second in America in aces per set with 0.67.
 
Iosia also leads the Lady Braves in digs with 351/3.31 per set. She's aided in the back line with fellow sophomore Kaylyn Latin who averages 2.23 digs per frame.
 
The youthful Alcorn squad have been paced by freshman Sydney Joseph on the attack. She ranks top-10 in the SWAC in several hitting categories including kills with a 2.52 average per frame. She's spiked a team-high 237 attacks on the year.
 
Senior Alondra Rivera Modesto and sophomore Daharri Thompkins have also been big contributors. Modesto has put away 235 on the year, while Thompkins has registered a team-high 63 blocks. Thompkins is the only Lady Brave to play in all 107 sets this season.
 
The Bulldogs (21-13, 17-1 SWAC) have been atop the league standings all season. Their only loss was a 3-2 defeat to rival Alabama State on Nov. 1.
 
AAMU leads the conference in nearly every statistical category including hitting percentage where it posts a .224 mark. Maya Evans hits for a .382 percentage with 243 kills. Defensively, Mine Centinoz ranks first in the conference in digs with 4.53 per set.
 
Historically, AAMU has been Alcorn's postseason nemesis. When the Lady Braves won regular season titles in 2001 and 2002, they fell in the title games to the Bulldogs.
 
With a win, Alcorn would advance to the semifinals to play either No. 4 Jackson State or No. 5 Texas Southern at 2 p.m. Saturday. The championship match is slated for 3 p.m. Sunday.
 
Click here to visit SWAC Championship central.
 
#FearTheBrave