LORMAN, Miss. – The top two teams in the SWAC standings will be coming to Alcorn State University in back-to-back days as the volleyball program hosts Alabama A&M at 5 p.m. Sunday and Alabama State at 6 p.m. Monday.
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Sunday's game will be played at the Davey L. Whitney Complex and will be live streamed for free on the AlcornÂ
Youtube Channel. Due to Homecoming festivities, Monday's matched will be played in E.E. Simmons Gym and will not be live streamed.
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Alcorn (5-9, 3-2 SWAC) is off to its best start in conference since 2004. The Lady Braves are coming off consecutive wins over Grambling State 3-0 and Southern 3-2 last weekend to close out the first SWAC Round-Up. The Lady Braves also swept Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3-0.
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AAMU (9-12, 5-0 SWAC) went undefeated at SWAC Round-Up and won the regular season title last year. ASU (7-14, 4-1 SWAC) sits in second-place at 4-1 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament last year after winning the 2017 SWAC Championships.
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"These two matches present a great opportunity for us. We're playing two teams that won titles last season and have been at the top of our league for years. For us to achieve what we ultimately want to accomplish, these are the teams we have to be able to compete against," said Alcorn head coach
Chelsey Lucas.
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The young Lady Braves have been led by freshman
Sydney Joseph who's put away a team-high 130 kills. Her 2.71 kills per set ranks second in the SWAC. She's coming off a career-high 24 kills against Southern.
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Alcorn has used a trio of setters this season including junior
Barbara Grubisic Cabo, sophomore
Jasmine Chambers and freshman
Jurnee Calhoun. Most recently, Cabo tallied a huge double-double with career-highs of 53 assists and 21 digs against the Jags.
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Alcorn's backline has been anchored by sophomores
Fiapaipai Iosia and
Kaylyn Latin. Iosia has recorded 159 digs in 14 matches this year, while Latin has 103. Iosia ranks third in the nation in service aces per set with 0.85.
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AAMU leads the league in many statistical categories including hitting percentage with a .211 mark and blocks with 1.95 per set. Maya Evans hits for a league-leading .374 percentage with 132 kills.
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ASU has been guided by setter Kori Kutsch who ranks second in the SWAC in assists with 7.51 per set. Candace Martin has been the team's top hitter with 115 kills and a .240 hitting percentage.
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#FearTheBrave
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