THE HILL | The Alabama A&M University women's volleyball team (1-0) began their regular season by defeating the Idaho Vandals (0-1), 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-20) on Friday afternoon in the first match of the Betty Austin Invitational.
The Bulldogs were poised on both sides of the ball, hitting over a .280 as a team, charting 28 digs and 11 service aces.
Juniors Saniya Spalding and Kemora Coachman led the team in hitting percentage, with Spalding notching .444% and Coachman right behind her at .400%. Seniors Saldy Amparo-Smith and Fatima Ramirez paced the Bulldogs in kills, with nine and eight respectively. Amparo-Smith notched four aces on the night, while senior Michell Jerez had three of her own.
AAMU returns to the court on Saturday night, where they will face off with the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles at 7 pm in Elmore Gymnasium. More information about the tournament, including live stats and live stream, can be found here.
Set One
The match would start with both teams nabbing a pair of points before the Vandals would go on a 5-0 run to give them an early edge at 8-4. After a Bulldog timeout, Ramirez would terminate the ball across the court to give the team the spark they needed to win the next nine of 11 points and gain a three-point advantage at 13-10. Three kills from Spalding would bring the bulldogs to 20 points, and consecutive aces from Amparo-Smith would have the Bulldogs smelling the first set win. An Idaho error and a pair of kills would secure just that, as AAMU would claim the first set 25-17.
Set Two
The second set would start much like the first, with both teams trading points. The Bulldogs would have the lead at 11-9 after Ramirez would pound the ball through the blockers to terminate the ball. Idaho would not let Alabama A&M get too comfortable and would take back the lead at 17-16. The Maroon and White would take advantage of a Vandal attack error and go on a 7-0 run, paced by three service aces by Jerez to put the Bulldogs within two of the set. The Vandals would find themselves with two more errors, making way for AAMU to take the second set, 25-18.
Set Three
The final frame would begin just as the other two, with teams going point-for-point for majority of the stanza. Ramirez, Amparo-Smith and Bailey Duckett would see the ball to the ground twice, but the Vandals still held the lead at 17-15. The Bulldogs, looking to close out their first regular season match, would score five unanswered points to put them ahead at 20-17. A trio of kills and a service ace from Amparo-Smith would give AAMU the set, 25-20, and finalize the match.
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.
