COLUMBUS, Miss. - The Alcorn State University volleyball program took care of business Saturday afternoon as the purple and gold defeated both Talladega and Mississippi University for Women at Pohl Gymnasium.

The Lady Braves (2-0) saw standout performances on both ends of the court during its two matches. Sophomore Simone Barren led the offensive attack with 21 kills while sophomore Sydney Joseph (18 kills), freshman Jéda Curry (18 kills) and junior Daharri Thompkins (16 kills) all notched double-digit kill outings. Junior Fiapaipai Iosia recorded 16 digs in each match to spearhead the defensive effort and junior Jasmine Chambers averaged 7.13 assists per set.

"The team worked hard today and showed so much improvement in the areas we've been training in," said head coach Melissa Robinson. "We still have more time to continue to grow as a team and work out more kinks along the way, very proud of the team this weekend."

Talladega | W, 3-2 (26-24, 18-25, 21-25, 25-19, 15-11)

Alcorn took a seesaw battle in the first set as Talladega (2-1) had match point at 24-23 before three consecutive points gave the Lady Braves the set. The Tornadoes would roar back with a vengeance as the designated home team took the next two sets fairly easily and put Alcorn on the ropes. The resilient women in purple and gold showed perseverance, using runs of 6-1 and 4-1 to force a decisive fifth set.

Talladega College took control early in the fifth set, jumping out to a 7-3 advantage. The Lady Braves would catch fire, evening the score at seven with three kills and an ace by sophomore Mariah Wilmoth. Alcorn never looked back, closing the deal with an 8-4 finish and opened the 2019 season with a thrilling five-set victory.

Mississippi University for Women | W, 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-21)

Immediately following the match with Talladega, Alcorn set its sights on the host MUW Owls (??-??. Despite not getting any break between contests, the Lady Braves made quick work of MUW winning in straight sets. Coach Robinson's squad overpowered the Owls over the first two frames, pulling away early and winning both sets by a combined 18 points.

The third set saw the hometown Owls provide a much stiffer test, as the two sides traded runs with neither team breaking things open. MUW seemed to gain momentum as a 4-0 rally gave The W a 18-15 upper-hand. Alcorn answered the call, ripping off ten of the last 13 points to secure the win and a perfect start to the campaign.

Alcorn's next match will be against Nicholls as part of the Colonel Classic on Friday night in Thibodaux, Louisiana.
 

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