HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Alcorn State women's volleyball team concluded its 2026 regular season Sunday afternoon, falling to Alabama A&M in straight sets (25-19, 25-11, 25-15) inside Elmore Gymnasium.

The Lady Braves (5-21, 5-11 SWAC) battled throughout the opening set and held an early advantage before the Bulldogs (20-11, 12-4 SWAC) rallied to take control of the match.

Rylan Jones led Alcorn offensively with seven kills, while Alexis Burton followed with six kills, seven digs and two service aces. Kelsey Burks and Jaylynn McNeill contributed three kills apiece, with Burks adding a solo block.

Daylin Saiki directed the Lady Braves' offense with 21 assists, while Tomoni Giddings anchored the defense with a match-high 14 digs and one service ace. Courtney Carter added five digs, while Brayla Doss finished with three.

Alabama A&M was led by Carys Sanabria with eight kills and a .467 hitting percentage. Gerren Tomlin and Rayishon Jackman added seven kills apiece, while Kelani Talakai recorded a team-high 11 digs.

First Set: Alabama A&M 25, Alcorn State 19

Alcorn opened the match with energy, using kills from McNeill and Burton to build an early 4-1 advantage.

The Lady Braves continued their strong start as McNeill registered another kill to extend the lead to 5-2. Burton followed with consecutive offensive contributions to help Alcorn maintain an 8-5 advantage.

Alabama A&M responded with a run to even the score at 11-11 before taking its first lead since the opening point at 12-11.

The Lady Braves answered to tie the frame at 12-12, but the Bulldogs regained control with a 9-1 run to establish a 21-13 advantage.

Alcorn refused to go away, responding with four consecutive points, highlighted by back-to-back service aces from Burton, to cut the deficit to 21-17.

Jones added two late kills, but Alabama A&M closed out the opening set, 25-19.

Second Set: Alabama A&M 25, Alcorn State 11

The Bulldogs carried their momentum into the second set, jumping out to an early 5-1 advantage.

Alcorn looked to respond behind kills from Ki'ara Knight-Thompson and Jones, but Alabama A&M extended its lead to 11-3 following a four-point run.

The Lady Braves continued battling as Carter recorded a kill and Bailey Upshaw teamed with Saiki for a block to generate additional scoring opportunities.

Giddings added a service ace late in the frame, while Jones contributed two more kills.

However, Alabama A&M maintained control throughout the set, using a balanced offensive attack to secure a 25-11 victory and take a 2-0 match advantage.

Third Set: Alabama A&M 25, Alcorn State 15

Alcorn came out aggressively in the third set, taking an early 4-2 lead behind a kill from Burton, a finish from Upshaw and a solo block by Burks.

The Lady Braves continued to battle as Jones delivered a kill to give Alcorn a 6-5 advantage.

Burks later added another kill to tie the set at 7-7, but Alabama A&M responded with three consecutive points to establish a 10-7 lead.

Alcorn remained within striking distance as Burton and Kayla Jones contributed kills to cut the deficit to 10-9.

The Bulldogs answered with a 5-1 run to extend their advantage to 15-10 before continuing to pull away.

Jones and Burks provided late offensive contributions, but Alabama A&M secured the final set, 25-15, to complete the sweep.

Match Notes

• Alcorn State finished with 23 kills, 22 assists, 35 digs and three service aces.

• Rylan Jones led the Lady Braves with seven kills.

• Alexis Burton recorded six kills, seven digs and two service aces.

• Daylin Saiki distributed 21 assists.

• Tomoni Giddings registered a match-high 14 digs.

• Kelsey Burks finished with three kills and one solo block.

• The match featured nine ties and three lead changes, including six ties in the third set.

• Alcorn held an early 4-1 advantage in the opening set and a 4-2 lead in the third.