ITTA BENA, Miss. – The Mississippi Valley State Delta Devilettes opened the home portion of their 2018 schedule Thursday with a three-set sweep of Dillard (La.).
 
Scores of the match were 25-17, 25-12, and 25-23.
 
Tyler Caliste posted her second consecutive double-double to lead the Devilettes (2-11), knocking down a match-high 14 kills and tallying 11 digs. Taylor Selfridge finished a kill shy of her own double-double, putting away nine kills and leading Valley with a match-high 15 digs.
 
Jamie Polk handed out a season-high 31 assists for Valley, while Destini Banks had seven kills on 12 total attacks and hit .500 for the match.
 
Valley led from start to finish in set one, and for all but the opening point in set two. The opening set saw the Devilettes jump out to a 5-1 lead, and then turn a 6-3 lead into an eight-point advantage by running off five consecutive points.
 
Set three saw three ties and lead change during the opening six points, as well as a late rally by Dillard before Valley took the set by the required two-point margin. The home team led by as many as six points, but a 7-2 run by Dillard cut Valley's lead to 20-19.
 
Valley pushed its lead back to 24-21, only to see the visiting Bleu Devils score two more points. The elusive tie was not to be, however, as Selfridge put the match away with the final kill of the contest.
 
The Delta Devilettes hit .222 as a team, knocking down 39 kills against just 17 errors on 99 attempts. Dillard was held to a .031 hitting percentage during the match.
 
Valley hit over .200 in sets one and three, while the team's .167 hitting percentage in set two was offset by Dillard hitting minus-.200 in the middle frame (three kills and nine errors on 30 attempts).
 
Mississippi Valley State will have one more tuneup match before starting Southwestern Athletic Conference play next weekend. The Devilettes travel to Clinton to face Mississippi College on Tuesday; match time is scheduled for 6 p.m.