CHICAGO, Ill. | Alabama A&M opened Friday's action at the Loyola Classic with a strong first-set victory before falling to Southeast Missouri State in four sets at Joseph J. Gentile Arena.
The Bulldogs dropped the match by set scores of 27-25, 11-25, 22-25 and 14-25, moving to 5-4 on the season.
Alabama A&M delivered its best offensive performance in the opening frame, recording 19 kills and hitting .341. The set featured 17 ties and eight lead changes before the Bulldogs broke a 25-25 tie with a kill from McKenzie Charles.
The Bulldogs battled throughout a tightly contested third set that included 11 ties and six lead changes. Alabama A&M remained within two points late, but Southeast Missouri State closed the frame with a 25-22 victory to take a 2-1 advantage.
Gerren Tomlin paced the Bulldogs with 13 kills and added 12 digs for a double-double. Rayishon Jackman followed with 11 kills and eight digs, while Cherrish Robinson recorded eight kills on a .333 hitting percentage.
Amya Jennings added seven kills while hitting a team-best .357. Charles finished with six kills, while Carys Sanabria contributed five kills, three block assists and a service ace.Â
Briana Smith led Alabama A&M with 22 assists, while Kaydee Smith added 20 assists, five digs and a service ace. Kelani Talakai anchored the defense with a match-high 15 digs and added an ace.
Alabama A&M finished with 51 kills, 47 assists, 51 digs, three service aces and four total blocks.
NEXT UPÂ
The Bulldogs will face Loyola-Chicago tomorrow on September 12 at 12 p.m.Â
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