LORMAN, Miss. – Makayla Wardlaw finished with a match-high 16 kills to lead Alcorn past visiting Southern (La.), 3-0 in a Thursday evening Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) volleyball match housed at the Davey L. Whitney Complex. The Braves took the match on set scores of 25-15, 25-17, 25-19.
Between the second and third set, Alcorn Head Coach Melissa Robinson and her team paid tribute to Jeda Curry and Jodorrian Taylor for their "Senior Appreciation Night", as the two received flowers and framed jerseys from the head coach, her staff and players.
Alcorn (5-22, 4-10 SWAC) set the tone early with a dominating opening-set win.
The Braves hit .310 in the opener, finishing with 13 kills as a team on 29 swings, all while holding Southern to a .030 attacking percentage in the set.
On her "Senior Appreciation Night", outside hitter Jéda Curry registered four of her six kills in the match during the opening frame as the Braves sprinted to a 14-9 lead midway through the set. The hosts would add to the lead with a pair of Jaguars attack errors (seven in all), to complete the 25-15 set win. Makayla Wardlaw, Demya Tate and Mikenzie Young-Mullins each added three kills apiece for the Purple and Gold en route to the win.
In the second set, Alcorn would hit a team SWAC-best single set percentage of .400, using 13 kills on 25 swings for the 25-17 win.
With the score tied at 10-all, blocks from Curry and Tate were bookended by a Jaguars attack error and a Wardlaw kill to allow the Purple and Gold a 13-10 advantage. The Braves extended the lead at 19-14 as Tate delivered a kill and a service ace prior to a Southern timeout. A Wardlaw kill off the end of an Alissa Williams set completed the 25-17 win for the Braves in the second frame.
In the third set, Alcorn recorded 12 kills as a team, while using six hitting errors by the Jaguars.
The teams stood tied at 11 midway through the third frame, before an Alaina Armstrong block proceeded a Jordan Felix set error by the Jaguars, allowing the Braves to step in front, 14-11. Kailee Deffebaugh and Leah Draine picked up blocks for the Jags to bring the visitors to within 15-14, as the two sides traded kills to put the set at 17-16 in favor of Alcorn after a Trenity Lundy kill.
The Braves would go on a 5-0 run sparked by three consecutive service aces from Curry to extend the lead, 22-16. A Young-Mullins kill – one of her seven for the contest, saw the Braves win their second match in the last three outings. It also allowed the Braves to avenge a 3-1 loss to the Jaguars in Baton Rouge, Louisiana from earlier in the season.
Southern was led in the match by Deffebaugh with five kills, adding six assisted blocks for the visitors. Jordan Felix provided 12 assists, while Lundy led the defensive exploits with six digs.
For Alcorn, it was Wardlaw's 16-kill performance to lead all offensive efforts, as freshman setter Alissa Williams provided a season-high 21 assists. Armstrong and Young-Mullins each tallied seven digs. And it was Tate finishing with two blocks (one solo).
Alcorn returns to action Sunday, Nov. 13, as the Braves travel to Texas Southern for a SWAC contest beginning at 1 p.m.
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