ITTA BENA, Miss. – The Devilettes of Mississippi Valley State gave visiting Alabama State a competitive match Sunday before falling in four sets to the defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Lady Hornets.
 
Scores of the match were 17-25, 27-25, 25-17, and 25-9.
 
Senior hitter Taylor Selfridge knocked down a season-high 18 kills and tallied 16 digs for her second double-double of the season for Valley (2-18, 0-6 SWAC). Her .318 hitting percentage was also a season-high.
 
Jessica Bell led the Valley defense with 19 digs. Ariana Austin handed out 29 assists and served four aces for the Devilettes.
 
Valley took control of set one thanks to an 11-1 run that turned a three-point deficit into a 17-10 lead. Selfridge had four kills during that run, while Bell and Austin each served two aces as momentum began to build for the home team.
 
The Devilettes would lead the set by as many as nine points, and never saw their lead fall below seven points for the remainder of the opening set. Fittingly, it was a kill by Selfridge that claimed the first set for Valley and stunned Alabama State (8-14, 5-1 SWAC).
 
In an equally exciting set two, the Devilettes overcame an early deficit with six unanswered points to take a 12-10 lead. Set two would feature 11 ties and four lead changes. As the teams approached the necessary 25 points, Valley was a point away from winning the set twice, but each time Alabama State fended it off.
 
Valley hit .262 in the second set, but Alabama State overcame that by hitting .435 in the set, committing only one attacking error.
 
The Devilettes were competitive in set three, but ultimately ran out of steam as Alabama State claimed the last two sets.
 
Valley continues its homestand Monday when the Devilettes host Alabama A&M. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.