DOVER, Del. — South Carolina State women's volleyball battled throughout Sunday's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference road matchup but fell 3-0 to Delaware State at Memorial Hall.
The Lady Bulldogs dropped the match by scores of 25-13, 25-17 and 25-23. SC State fell to 4-13 overall and 0-2 in MEAC play, while Delaware State improved to 11-5 and 2-0 in conference action.
After struggling offensively through the opening two sets, SC State put together its strongest performance in the third. The Lady Bulldogs recorded 11 kills and hit .161 in the final frame after registering seven kills in the opening set and five in the second.
SC State came out aggressive in the third set and built a 15-11 advantage following a kill by
Carra Pierre-Louis. Delaware State answered with a run to take a 19-16 lead, but the Lady Bulldogs continued to fight. Trailing 24-21, SC State scored consecutive points before Pierre-Louis delivered a kill to pull the Bulldogs within 24-23. Delaware State closed the match on the ensuing point for the 25-23 victory.
Pierre-Louis led the Lady Bulldogs offensively with five kills, while
Amani Hawkins and
Hedia Lewis each finished with four.
Jade Robinson added three kills and hit .300.
Kiyla Mighty contributed six assists and two service aces, while
Arianna James dished out a team-high nine assists.
Defensively, SC State totaled 36 digs and four team blocks. James led the Lady Bulldogs with 11 digs, while
Jordan Dalland added five. Pierre-Louis and
Chloe Neal finished with four digs apiece.
Delaware State finished with 39 kills and a .308 hitting percentage, compared with 23 kills and a .033 percentage for SC State. The Hornets also held an 8-4 advantage in team blocks. Aaliyah Mitchell led Delaware State with 10 kills.
Despite the setback, the Lady Bulldogs showed significant improvement as the match progressed, increasing their sideout percentage from 36% in the first set to 60% in the third and pushing Delaware State to the limit in the final frame.
