2014 Women's Volleyball Tournament Preview
SWAC.org
BIRMINGHAM, Ala – The 2014 Southwestern Athletic Conference volleyball tournament will take place November 22-23 in Baton Rouge, La. The double elimination contest will be held at the Clifford Seymour Gymnasium and the Horace H. Moody Intramural Center. The top four teams from the eastern and western divisions (eight total) have qualified for the tournament based on conference results.
The Alabama State women’s volleyball team earned the 2014 Southwestern Athletic Conference, Eastern Division, season championship November 6th at T.M. Elmore Gymnasium. The Hornets defeated state rival, Alabama A&M, 3-2. This marks the Hornets’ second consecutive eastern division title. This team meet up (AAMU/ASU) was the exact match that decided the fate of the Hornets in 2013. That match a year ago also ended, 3-2, in favor of State. The Hornets look to keep their SWAC title with the help of team-leaders Myla Marshall, Ellyn Jones and Rachel Smith. Marshall leads the conference in hitting percentage at .333 and the Hornets with 234 kills. She is fifth in the conference in blocks and seventh in total points. Jones leads the conference in services aces with 47 and is eighth in assists. She leads the team with 566 assists and is individually ranked 19th in aces per set and 11th in services aces by the NCAA. Smith is fifth in service aces. Alabama State is ranked 40 in aces per set by the NCAA.
Texas Southern gained the 2014 Southwestern Athletic Conference, Western Division, season championship November 6th at H&PE Arena. The Tigers swept Grambling State, 3-0. This also marked the Tigers’ second consecutive western division title. In 2013, Texas Southern challenged Arkansas-Pine Bluff and ended with a victorious sweep, 25-19, 25-22, and 25-22. The previous year (2012), the Tigers took second place in the west. Tiger leaders Robyn Shannon, Sarah Wooton and Kali Fluke look to take the SWAC title, issuing out impressive statistics. Shannon has 234 kills and is fifth in conference kills – sixth in overall points. Wooton has a team-high 425 assists, ranked ninth in the conference. Fluke is ranked second in the conference in hitting percentage (.304) and leads the Tigers with 237 kills (third in the conference). She is ranked second in blocks and third in overall points by the conference.
Match Previews
#1 Texas Southern vs. #4 Alcorn State
The Tigers and the Braves will go head to head in the first match of the tournament, Saturday, November 22th at 9:00 a.m. in Clifford Seymour Gymnasium (court one). This match will be the first time both teams meet up this season. Alcorn State leads the conference in opponent hitting percentage and is also nationally ranked by the NCAA (28 out of 328). Lurlethia Jones has a season-high 158 kills, while Sydney Mellom secured a high 525 assists, and Vanessa Ortega has 342 digs. Texas Southern is ranked second in hitting percentage, assists and kills - third in opponent hitting percentage for the conference. Fluke leads the team with 237 kills, while Ashle Markey has a season-high 259 digs. Wooton leads with 425 assists.
#2 Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. #3 Jackson State
The Golden Lions will also meet up with the Tigers for the first time this season to play in the second match of the tournament at 9:00 a.m. in the Horace H. Moody Intramural Center (court two). Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s top player to watch is Ashle Jones. Jones has seen action in 25 matches, while starting in 22 of them. She currently has 216 kills in 744 total attacks on the season. She currently has 13 service aces, 21 total blocks, 188 digs and is currently averaging 2.11 digs per set. The athlete to watch from Jackson State is Mikayla Rolle. Rolle has played and started in 25 matches. She has 226 kills and avgs 2.46 kills per set. Rolle registered 486 total attacks, sprung for 35 posted 85 total blocks and earned 300 points, avg 3.26 a set.
#3 Southern vs. #2 Alabama A&M
The Jaguars are scheduled to play the Bulldogs in the third match of the tournament at 11:00 a.m. in the Clifford Seymour Gymnasium (court one). Like the matchups before, this will be the first time both teams go head-to-head this season. Southern will be led by Marisol Macias. Macias is ranked in the top ten in conference kills (eighth with 191). She is second in digs for the Jaguars with 170 and has a total of 27 blocks. Marcias leads the team with 215 points, averaging 2.69 per set. Alabama A&M’s top athlete is Kyanna Sales. Sales is second in kills for the conference (277) and fifth in total points. She was named to the North Carolina A&T Volleyball Tournament.
# 4 Prairie View A&M vs. #1 Alabama State
The Panthers and the Hornets meet for the second time this season to battle during the fourth match of the tournament, Saturday at 11:00 a.m. in the Horace H. Moody Intramural Center (court two). The two teams met September 25th in Prairie View, Texas. The Panthers claimed victory. The Hornets took the win in the first set, as Prairie View A&M won the second set. The fight continued as the Hornets notched the third set with the Panthers following suit in the fourth. With the help of a four-point run, Prairie View A&M stole the fifth and final set. The score tied 19 times during the match, with Alabama State securing a match-high 12 blocks. The Panther’s Candyce Alexander gathered a match-high 17 kills, while Ana Kiso registered the match-high 40 assists. The Hornets’ Erika Thompson gained the match-high 23 digs.