HOUSTON | The Alabama A&M volleyball team (5-15, 3-5 SWAC) is set to travel to the Lone Star State to face the Tigers of Texas Southern (6-16, 5-5 SWAC) and the Panthers of Prairie View A&M (9-15, 6-3) on Monday and Tuesday.
The Bulldogs hit the road after dropping two five-set matches to in-state rival Alabama State University. The first match, hosted in Elmore Gymnasium saw a balanced effort from the Bulldogs, who were paced by Saldy Amparo-Smith. She notched 22 kills, 10 blocks and two and a half blocks on the night. Following just behind was Fatima Ramirez, who tallied 18 terminations, 10 digs and a service ace. In addition to Amparo-Smith and Ramirez's digs, Michell Jerez and Kennedy Robinson led the Bulldog defense, digging 14 and 13 balls respectively. Junior Kemora Coachman led the front row defense, totaling four solo blocks on the night. Grace Tapscott recorded 30 assists and a team-high five aces.
In Montgomery, the Bulldogs saw three players with at least 13 kills, paced by Ramirez, who notched 17 terminations, eight digs, two blocks and two service aces. Amparo-Smith would follow just behind her with a double-double, notching 16 kills and a team high 16 digs, in addition to three service aces and two blocks. Junior Bailey Duckett terminated 13 balls of her own. Saniya Spalding and Nissan Martinez led the Maroon and White defense, tallying five and four blocks respectively. Tapscott recorded 27 assists and a team-high five aces.
Texas Southern is coming off their own five set victory over ASU on Sunday Afternoon. The Tigers were led by Kourtni Collier and Gracie Hill, who recorded 10 and nine kills respectively. Hill and Taryn Stafford each notched five blocks in the match, while Ava ray tallied 18 assists. Angelika Rusin added 20 digs on the afternoon to round out Tiger play in the match. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series with the Tigers 13-7. First serve for Mondays match is set for 6 p.m.
Prairie View looks to earn a pair of wins against both Alabama State and Alabama A&M after being swept by Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman at home last weekend. The Panthers were paced by Kylee Owens, who contributed 19 kills and 17 digs during the B-CU match. Leah Lawson added 23 assists as well. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series with the Panthers 16-8. First serve for Tuesday's match is set for 6:30 pm and can be live streamed here.
For complete coverage of Alabama A&M Athletics – Huntsville's only Division I program - check out the official homepage at www.aamusports.com. Follow the volleyball team on Instagram and X.
