Lake Charles, La. – Alcorn State volleyball opened competition at the McNeese Cowgirl Invitational on Thursday evening, dropping a 3-0 decision to host McNeese at the Legacy Center. The Cowgirls claimed the match with set scores of 25-9, 25-20, and 25-19.
After a slow start in the opening set, the Lady Braves settled in during the second and third frames, building stretches of momentum and forcing McNeese to adjust. The effort showed improved consistency at the net and in serve reception, but the Cowgirls' balance proved too much down the stretch.
Alcorn was led offensively by outside hitter Rylan Jones, who finished with a match-high 11 kills while adding five digs. She carried the attack in the third set, delivering timely points that kept Alcorn within striking distance. Courtney Carter provided a steady presence at the net with five kills, three blocks, and nine digs, contributing on both sides of the ball. Middle blocker Tomoni Giddings chipped in seven digs and two assists, while also adding three kills. Erin Mims added four kills and a block, while Brayla Doss tallied three digs and one kill in limited action.
As a team, Alcorn posted 41 kills across the three sets, while also registering 50 digs and three total team blocks. Jones and Carter combined for 16 of those kills, while Mims and Powell each added contributions from the outside. Giddings and Doss anchored the back row, helping the Lady Braves maintain extended rallies against a McNeese squad that hit .275 as a team with 10 different players recording a kill.
The Lady Braves fell to 0-3 on the season with the result, while McNeese improved to 3-1.
Alcorn will return to action on Friday, September 5, continuing tournament play against Louisiana-Monroe at 1 p.m.
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