Jackson, Miss. – After a slow start, volleyball rallied in a big way thanks to a 22 kill, six block performance by Ashundria McNeal (Memphis, Tenn.) as the Lady Bulldogs earned a 3-1 win over Jackson State Thursday night. 

THE BASICS

Alabama A&M 3, Jackson State 1

Alabama A&M (8-18)
Jackson State (5-19)

HOW IT HAPPENED

After hitting .152 in the first set, which resulted in a Jackson State 27-25 win, the Lady Bulldogs rallied in a huge way over the final three frames.  The Lady Bulldogs evened the score at 1-1 in the second set, with a 30-28 win, as they hit .108. The second set saw 11 ties and nine lead changes. In the third set, AAMU continued to distance themselves from the Tigers as they recorded a 25-22 win.  In the final frame, it was all AAMU from start to finish as they earned a 25-19 win, with a .241 (13-29) hitting display.

McNeal added  14 digs on the night to go along with her 22 kills. At the net, the Memphis native recorded six block assists. Jaelin Gant (Birmingham, Ala.) had another strong match with 12 kills, and 11 digs. Ariana Jones (Houston, Tex.) also carried the Lady Bulldogs with seven kills and eight block assists. 

It was all Riley Balsmeyer (Paoli, Ind.) with the assists as she recorded 45 and she finished with one ace for the night. As a team, the Lady Bulldogs combined for 13 total blocks, and ended the match hitting .163.

WHO'S NEXT

The Lady Bulldogs will face Mississippi Valley in Itta Bena, Miss. at 7 p.m. Friday to continue SWAC play.