CARBONDALE, Ill. – Alabama A&M (1-13, 0-0 SWAC) closed out the tournament portion of their schedule as they fell by a 3-0 score, 25-15, 25-11, 25-23, to Southeast Missouri State (5-7, 0-0 OVC) in the finale of the Saluki Bash and in NCAA Division I women's volleyball match on Saturday, September 17.
The Bulldogs would take a very early 3-2 lead in Game 1 only to see SEMO ramp up with an 11-5 run to pull ahead 13-7. Freshman outside hitter
Caitlin Shaw (Desoto, Texas) drilled back-to-back kills to spark a mini 4-1 run that cut the deficit to four before the Redhawks notched five straight points for a 20-11 margin. They would then take five of the final nine points to close out a 25-15 victory that put them up 1-0.
Game 2 would see Southeast Missouri jump out to a 9-3 advantage before eventually building it to 14-7 midway through the frame. A&M took three of the next five to get to within six only to see six straight points fuel a set-ending 9-1 run that made it 25-11 and a two-set margin.
The third set would see the Redhawks pound away early, scoring six straight to open the game as they raced out to a 14-8 lead. Unlike the first two frames, the Bulldogs would battle back, this time in a big way with a 10-4 rally that narrowed the deficit to just 18-17. A kill, a service ace and an error stretched it to a four-point margin before Alabama A&M. A 6-3 burst then brought the Bulldogs to within one but a service error put away the set, 25-23, and the match, 3-0.
Shaw ripped a team-high 12 kills on the day while freshman Jarvis McKenzie (Detroit, Mich.) led the way with 13 digs to pace A&M. Sophomore setter
Keyara Brooks (Arlington, Texas) added 11 assists and sophomore middle blocker
Ajanae Cressey (Las Vegas, Nev.) chipped in with seven kills.
It would be a balanced attack for SEMO as Zoey Beasley and Ramiri Gardner each had six kills, with the latter adding four blocks. Izzy Lukens and Kaelyn O'Brien had 13 and 12 assists, respectively. O'Brien added five digs as did Kaila Morris to round out the top performers.
Alabama A&M wraps up the non-conference season as they head to Middle Tennessee for a match on Wednesday, September 21. First serve is set for 6 p.m. in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
