CHARLESTON, S.C. — South Carolina State women's volleyball showed resilience and battled throughout the night, but The Citadel used a balanced offensive attack to earn a 3-0 victory Friday at McAlister Field House.
The Citadel (2-3) claimed the match 25-23, 25-19, 25-21, while South Carolina State moved to 1-4 on the season. The Bulldogs remained competitive throughout the match, including a two-point opening set and a third set that featured seven ties.
Sophomore
Amani Hawkins turned in another strong offensive performance for SC State, finishing with a team-high 12 kills while hitting .375. Freshman
Kenna Harris added 11 kills on 21 attempts with just three errors for a .381 hitting percentage.
Taelyn Graham contributed seven kills and hit a team-best .417 while also helping the Bulldogs at the net.
South Carolina State finished with 35 kills, 33 assists, 39 digs, four service aces and eight total team blocks. The Bulldogs' eight blocks were one more than The Citadel's seven, providing a bright spot defensively despite the setback.
The opening set demonstrated SC State's ability to fight through adversity. After falling behind 5-0, the Bulldogs steadily worked their way back into contention. SC State eventually pulled even at 17-17 following a Harris kill and remained within striking distance down the stretch. The Bulldogs fought off one set point to make it 24-23 before The Citadel secured the final point for a 25-23 win.
SC State came out aggressively in the second set, building an early 5-1 advantage. Hawkins and Harris helped fuel the start before The Citadel responded and eventually moved in front. The Bulldogs later mounted another push behind back-to-back service aces from
Carra Pierre-Louis, cutting the deficit to 20-17, but The Citadel held on for the 25-19 decision.
The Lady Bulldogs continued to compete in the third. SC State held several early leads and stayed close through a 13-13 tie. After The Citadel created separation, SC State refused to go quietly. Trailing 23-17, the Bulldogs scored four consecutive points, getting kills from Harris and
Ki'ra Wright along with a Harris-Pierre-Louis block to trim the margin to 23-21. The Citadel answered with the final two points to close the match.
Macey McCoy directed the SC State offense with 21 assists, while
Arianna James added 12.
Jordan Dalland led the defensive effort with 13 digs, and Wright added six. The Bulldogs also received four block assists from Graham as part of their strong night at the net.
