JACKSON, Miss. – Alabama State University captured its first Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament crown after edging out Alabama A&M, 3-2, on Sunday in the Lee Williams Athletics and Assembly Center.
The Lady Hornets won the match using set scores of 28-30, 25-19, 22-25, 25-21 and 18-16.
SWAC Tournament MVP, Rachel Smith, powered ASU (25-15) with a double-double posting 19 kills, while finishing with 14 digs.Ellyn Jones registered a double-double with 19 assists and 13 digs. Myla Marshall tacked on 15 kills and Brooke Beasley paced ASU with 36 assists. The Lady Hornets defense totaled nine blocks with Luiza Griz recording 15 digs to help the back line.
Ashley Forman led AAMU (11-21) with a double-double, posting a match high 55 assists to couple 20 digs. Maria Ramos contributed a double-double to assist AAMU, she carried 11 kills and 11 digs. Savannah Blackiston finished with 18 kills and nine digs.
Kyanna Sales registered a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs. Leslie Ekpe finished with a double-digit figure with 11 kills and Rebecca Cortez gathered 21 digs to lead the Lady Bulldogs.
Alabama State receives the automatic qualifier bid to the 2013 NCAA Volleyball Tournament to face an opponent to be announced during the NCAA.com Selection Show. The show will be televised on ESPNU on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 8:30 p.m. CST.
Courtesy: SWAC.org
