MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alcorn State volleyball battled through several rallies and early leads Friday evening but ultimately fell to Alabama State in straight sets (25-18, 25-14, 25-19) inside Lockhart Gymnasium in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action.

The Lady Braves (5-20, 5-10 SWAC) showed flashes of momentum throughout the contest, particularly in the opening set, which featured nine ties and five lead changes. Alcorn also jumped out to an early advantage in the second set and put together a four-point rally in the third before Alabama State (9-19, 7-8 SWAC) secured the victory.

Daylin Saiki highlighted the evening by surpassing 500 assists for the season, becoming the first Alcorn State player to reach the milestone since 2019. Saiki finished the match with 23 assists, three service aces and five digs. Jasmine Chambers was the last Lady Brave to surpass the mark, recording 543 assists during the 2019 campaign.

Rylan Jones led the Lady Braves offensively with nine kills, while Courtney Carter followed with seven kills, three digs and a service ace. Jaylynn McNeill contributed four kills, while Kasey Watkins provided a spark from the service line with three aces and four digs.

Defensively, Tomoni Giddings and Alexis Burton added five digs apiece, while Bailey Upshaw contributed two block assists. Cristin Webb added two kills on two attempts in the third set.

Alabama State was led by Kaylen Hines, who recorded a match-high 12 kills on a .706 hitting percentage. Alexis Williams and Amaya Robinson followed with 11 kills each.

SET-BY-SET RECAP

Set One: Alabama State 25, Alcorn State 18

Alcorn opened the match with a service ace from Saiki and traded points with Alabama State throughout the early stages. After falling behind 8-5, the Lady Braves rallied behind a kill from Saiki and an Alabama State attack error to pull within one at 8-7.

Trailing 9-8, Alcorn used another Saiki service ace and a McNeill kill to reclaim a 10-9 advantage. The Lady Braves continued to battle, overcoming a 12-10 deficit with four consecutive points to take their largest lead of the set at 14-12. McNeill delivered a kill during the run, while Burton helped fuel the rally from the service line.

However, Alabama State responded with nine unanswered points to turn the two-point deficit into a 21-14 advantage. Alcorn attempted to regroup behind kills from Carter and Jones, but the Hornets closed out the opening frame, 25-18.

The opening set featured nine ties and five lead changes, with Alcorn recording 10 kills.

Set Two: Alabama State 25, Alcorn State 14

The Lady Braves carried their early energy into the second set, opening with three consecutive points. A combined block from Upshaw and Carter, followed by a Carter service ace and a McNeill kill, gave Alcorn a 3-0 advantage.

Alabama State answered to tie the set at 4-4 before taking its first lead at 5-4. Jones briefly halted the Hornets' momentum with a kill to bring Alcorn within one at 6-5, but Alabama State gradually extended its lead to 15-7.

Alcorn put together a short two-point rally behind consecutive kills from Carter, trimming the deficit to 15-9. Later, Watkins delivered a service ace, while Jones added another kill to help the Lady Braves continue fighting.

Despite the effort, Alabama State maintained control down the stretch and secured the second set, 25-14.

Set Three: Alabama State 25, Alcorn State 19

Facing a two-set deficit, Alcorn continued to compete in the final frame. After falling behind 8-2, Jones delivered a kill to stop the Hornets' early run.

Trailing 14-7, the Lady Braves produced their strongest rally of the set, scoring four consecutive points to cut the deficit to 14-11. Carter sparked the run with a kill before Watkins delivered back-to-back service aces.

Jones followed with another kill to bring Alcorn within three at 15-12. Later in the set, Webb provided an offensive spark off the bench, recording two kills on two attempts.

The Lady Braves continued to battle, using consecutive points to trim Alabama State's advantage to 20-16. Alcorn also fought off two match points to close within 24-19 before the Hornets recorded the final kill to complete the sweep.

BY THE NUMBERS

• 500+: Season assists for Daylin Saiki, the first Lady Brave to surpass the milestone since 2019.

• 23: Assists recorded by Saiki, along with three service aces and five digs.

• 9: Kills recorded by Rylan Jones to lead Alcorn.

• 7: Total service aces recorded by the Lady Braves, compared to six for Alabama State.

• 10: Total ties in the match, including nine in the opening set.

• 6: Total lead changes, with five coming in the first set.

• 4: Consecutive points scored by Alcorn in the third set to trim a 14-7 deficit to 14-11.

UP NEXT

Alcorn State concludes its 2026 regular season Sunday, Nov. 15, when the Lady Braves travel to Huntsville, Ala., to face Alabama A&M. First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT.