LORMAN, Miss. – The Alcorn State University volleyball program enters the SWAC Tournament as the #6 seed and will go up against #3 UAPB Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. in Birmingham.
The Lady Braves (3-6, 3-6 SWAC) head into the Quarterfinals riding its first winning streak of the campaign, sweeping Valley and knocking off Texas Southern in four during its last two matches.
Alcorn State is among the conference's upper-tier serving squads, averaging 1.53 aces per set.
Mikenzie Young-Mullins is the top server on the club as far as statistics are concerned, averaging 0.40 service aces per set to place sixth in the SWAC and has seen 12 aces hit the floor over 30 sets.
Young-Mullins is also the club's best attacker, fronting the Purple and Gold with 85 kills (2.83 per set).
Senior Jasmine Chambers has been as consistent as they come, leading the Lady Braves with an average of 3.77 assists per set and will in all likelihood end her career with the seventh-most assists in program history (1,243).
Mariah Wilmoth has been passed the defensive torch from all-time great Fiapaipai Iosia this season, topping the Purple and Gold with 3.47 digs per set (104 total).
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Scouting the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Lady Lions (7-4, 6-4 SWAC)
The Lady Lions are coming off its first winning season in conference since 2017 and earning a top-three seed in the tournament.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff will throw waves of talent at an opponent as Zyonn Smith was named SWAC Player of the Year, Haley Gomez is the SWAC Blocker of the Year while setter Nikole Akamine made All-SWAC Second Team.
Smith led the conference in kills per set (3.7), total kills (138) and points (149.5) plus second for points per set (4.0).
Gomez was a two-time SWAC Player of the Week and topped the league with 1.40 blocks per set plus 51 overall.
Akamine finished fifth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in aces per set at 0.43 while topping the Black and Gold with an average of 5.32 assists per set.
UAPB swept Alcorn in H.O. Clemmons Arena in its only matchup this season on March 2 but the Lady Braves are 27-15 opposite the Lady Lions.
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