Alcorn Stops UAPB in Volleyball, 3-1

LORMAN, Miss. – Jeda Curry and Makayla Wardlaw each accumulated double-digit kills as Alcorn defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 3-1 on Monday evening in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) volleyball action inside the Davey L. Whitney Complex. The Braves took the match on scores of 25-23, 25-22, 15-25, 25-16.
 
Alcorn (2-13, 1-1 SWAC) hit just .043 in the opening set, but used two kills each from Demya Tate, Makayla Wardlaw and Jeda Curry in order to hold off a Golden Lions comeback attempt down the stretch. A pair of UAPB set errors and a service ace from the Braves' Emma Price gave the Purple and Gold the 25-23 set victory to open the match.
 
A thrilling opening set saw 13 ties and four lead changes between the two sides.
 
UAPB (3-12, 1-1 SWAC) was forced into an even .000 hitting percentage in the second set, as the visitors recorded just nine kills against nine errors on 31 swings. Meanwhile, Alcorn amassed 13 kills against eight errors on 33 swings in the second set.
 
Curry, a senior outside hitter from Hampton, Georgia, placed down five kills in the second set, while freshman teammate Tate netted three kills and a block assist in the frame.
 
The home side led, 19-17 before three attack errors by the Golden Lions down the stretch allowed the Braves to maintain a 23-20 edge just before a UAPB timeout. Curry and Tate combined with each other once again to bookend kills and end the set, giving the Braves a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The Arkansas-Pine Bluff squad returned the hitting percentage in kind to the hosts in the third set, as the Purple and Gold were forced into hitting an even .000 of their own.
 
With UAPB having taken a 3-1 non-conference win form the Braves earlier this season as part of the Paradise Classic in Boca Raton, Florida back on September 3, the visitors seemed to find that hitting touch from the contest in South Florida earlier in the season in the third set of Monday evening's affair. The Golden Lions got solid contributions from Laila Fortson and setter Nikole Akamine to hit .280 in the frame on the strength of 10 kills against three errors on just 25 attacks.
 
However, that form was quickly lost in the fourth set as the Golden Lions hit a mere (-.036) in the frame with eight errors.
 
The Braves used a furious scoring rally off the serve of freshman setter Ramona Pulu to grow their lead out to an insurmountable 14-7 advantage midway through the set. Despite a comeback attempt from UAPB to cut the deficit at 24-16 – using a 4-0 run in the rally, it was Wardlaw placing the final kill of the match down the middle for the Braves win.
 
Alcorn was spearheaded by Curry's 12 kills and Wardlaw's 10 kills of her own. Curry would hit .348 on the night, adding two digs and two assisted blocks. Wardlaw provided a service ace, five digs and two blocks (one solo) to go along with her double-digit kills performance of the match.
 
Pulu provided a season-high 30 assists on the night, while also contributing two kills, four digs and two block assists. Price had five digs. And outside hitter turned libero Mikenzie Young-Mullins led all Braves players with 12 digs and two service aces.
 
The Golden Lions of UAPB were led on the night by Kori Diego's eight kills, while teammate Fortson finished the match with seven kills and a pair of blocks (one solo). The two setter system of Akamine (16 assists) and Elyssa Kennedy (12 assists / 3 digs) was backed up by the defensive efforts of Stavroula Papazoglou with a team-high nine digs and four kills.
 
Alcorn returns to action on Thursday, Oct. 6, as the Purple and Gold venture south across the border into the "Bayou State" to take on Southern (La.) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Match time is slated for 6 p.m.
 
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