Wardlaw Leads Alcorn at SWAC Cluster

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Makayla Wardlaw registered five kills and six digs on Monday afternoon, as Alcorn Volleyball fell to Jackson State, 3-0 on the final day of the season's first Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Cluster event at Lockhart Gymnasium on the campus of Alabama State. The Braves dropped the match on scores of 25-13, 25-15, 25-9.
 
Alcorn (2-16, 1-4 SWAC) received solid contribution in the match from Jodorrian Taylor, a graduate transfer from Virginia State, as the Anderson, South Carolina native recorded a .400 hitting percentage with two kills on five total swings.
 
After the Braves tied the opening set at 4-4, Jackson State (6-12, 5-1 SWAC) used an Alexis Williams kill to combine with blocks from Taila Gaines and Williams to take a 9-4 lead. A pair of set errors in the frame proved costly for the Braves, while the team had a negative hitting percentage as well.
 
In the second set, Alcorn was supplied three kills from Montgomery, Alabama native Makayla Wardlaw – playing in front of a home crowd, while going on to collect three digs in the set. After an attack error charged to the Tigers pulled the Braves to within 12-11, the Tigers went on a 6-1 run sparked by two attack errors charged to the Braves – as well as a block error charged to the Purple and Gold. That allowed JSU to lead it, 18-12.
 
The Tigers would take the second set, 25-15, on the strength of Williams down the stretch, aided by a kill from Jylen Whitten.
 
For the second time on the day, the Braves were forced into a negative hitting percentage in the third set, as Alcorn hit just (-.091) in the frame.
 
Meanwhile, Jackson State countered with its second plus-400 attack percentage of the match, with the Tigers tallying a .423 mark on 14 kills, three errors and 26 swings altogether. JSU took the third set win, 25-9.
 
Alcorn was paced by Wardlaw's five-kill, six-dig afternoon. Mikenzie Young-Mullins provided the Braves with three kills and four digs. And it was first-year middle blocker Demya Tate chipping in with two kills and a team-high three blocks (two solo) in the match. Freshman libero Meagan Alfaro joined Wardlaw and freshman Alissa Williams in posting six digs each.
 
Jackson State was led by Alexis Williams with a match-high 14 kills and 10 digs, completing her double-double effort on the afternoon. Olivia Flanagan provided JSU with eight kills of her own. Trinity Bryant served as the libero for the Tigers, as she recorded a match-high 14 digs, six assists and two service aces.
 
Alcorn returns to action Sunday, Oct. 16, when the Braves play host to Texas Southern at 1 p.m., inside the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
 
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