#SWACVB18: P. Hall & Jolly lead Southern past Grambling
SWAC.org
Southern 3, Grambling State 1
Box Score
ITTA BENA, Miss. – Southern outlasted Grambling State in four sets to advance to the 2018 Southwestern Athletic Conference Women’s Volleyball Tournament Semifinals Friday afternoon at R.W. Harrison HPER Complex.
Southern claimed set one 25-18, but after Grambling won set two 27-25, the Lady Jaguars rebounded with 25-23 set wins in frames three and four. This marks the seventh-straight win for Southern (13-16).
Down 10-4 early in set one, Grambling State got on the comeback trail as a kill and a service ace by Kevreion Ward sparked a 7-2 run that brought the Lady Tigers within one. Undeterred, Southern reestablished the upper hand with a 9-1 unanswered points to push its lead to 21-12, and though Grambling made it interesting down the stretch, Paige Hall managed to sneak an attack past the Grambling front line to seal the frame for the Lady Jaguars.
The Lady Tigers were the aggressors to begin set two, with Ward dominating the frame early as Grambling (10-24) put together a 10-4 lead. The Lady Jaguars regrouped to get within two, and though the rally was nearly derailed with some misfires at the point of attack, Southern continued to fight back as Shelby Jolly smoked a pair of putdowns, and Hall and Princess Stark tag-teamed a block to tie the set at 22.
With the score tied at 25, Southern again misfired, and Ward punctuated matters with a huge blast to tie the match 1-1.
The Lady Jaguars began set three poised to run away with it after building a 19-12 lead, but Grambling strung together a 7-0 run to regain footing in the frame. However, Southern pulled away late as Hall dealt a pair of kills late.
Set four began with a role reversal of the prior set, as the Lady Tigers opened up a 10-4 lead. Hall led the Lady Jaguars back into it as the No. 3 seed scrapped together a 7-1 run to take a 20-19 lead. Southern was stronger in the final stretch, as Stark closed the match with a tip kill.
Hall put down 17 kills and figured in on five total blocks, and Jolly added 14 spikes. Vaterra Calais (23) and Stark (21) combined for 44 assists, and Arabella Hall had nine kills and six block assists. Bailey Jefferson led the Lady Jaguars with 27 kills.
Chasity Nicks led Grambling with 13 kills, and Ward added 11 kills, 10 digs and seven total blocks (six assists). L’Muriell Thrower dealt 20 assists along with 12 digs, and Talicia Lang had a team-best 14 digs to go with eight digs.