Box Score
NORMAL – Leslie Ekpe, Ashundria McNeal, and Maria Ramos combined for 35 kills to lead Alabama A&M (1-14) to a 3-1 victory over the University of Tennessee at Martin (6-10) Tuesday night (25-19, 18-25, 25-20 and 25-29). The win snapped a 14 game losing streak.
"We were running on high tonight, we wanted to get this win at home in front of our fans," said head coach Nedra Brown. "Our team played it out and found a way to win. Ramos proved to be our spark plug tonight, with big kills at crucial times. She also anchored our team in service receptions and did a tremendous job, defensively."
Ramos recorded her second double-double, finishing with a career-high 12 kills and 13 digs, while sophomore setter Ashley Forman posted her fourth- double-double with 37 assists and 14 digs in the match.
Sophomore libero Rebecca Cortez posted 15 digs, while right-side hitter Kyanna Sales added 12. McNeal, along with Ramos, led A&M's blocking efforts, recording four total blocks apiece on the evening.
Tied at 4-4, the Lady Bulldogs went one on a 5-0 run, which included three attack errors by the Seahawks, to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Ramos led the Maroon and White with three kills in the game, while the Seahawks were led by Allie Whimpy, who had four kills.
Trailing 6-4 in game two, the Seahawks used a 5-0 run to take their first lead of the game and didn't let up, finishing with a 25-18 win to avoid the match sweep. UT-Martin hit .240 and was led by Whimpy, who had six kills, while Ekpe paced A&M with nine kills hitting .667.
AAMU concluded the third game much the same way it did the first, by winning nine of the final 12 points after falling behind 10-14.
After falling behind 17-15 in the fourth game, Tennessee Martin used a 2-0 run to tie the game 17 all, but the Lady Bulldogs responded by winning four of the next eight points to take a 21-19 lead. AAMU closed out the match with a 4-1 run, to win 25-20.
"We still have things that we need to improve on, and we're going to work hard this week to make sure that we can carry this momentum on the road with us," added Brown.
The Lady Bulldogs will return to action this weekend when they travel to Mississippi for a pair of SWAC matches. A&M will meet Mississippi Valley State Friday at 6 p.m. before heading to "The Reservation" Â for a match at Alcorn State, on Saturday at 6 p.m.
