THE DELTA | The Mississippi Valley State University women's volleyball team opened Sunday's Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) matchup with an impressive first-set victory before falling to Grambling State in four sets (25-17, 14-25, 15-25, 14-25) on November 1 inside the R.W. Harrison HPER Complex.
The Delta Devils (1-19, 0-11 SWAC) came out firing offensively, controlling the opening frame behind efficient attacking and aggressive serving. Valley recorded 13 kills on 25 attempts with just two errors, posting an outstanding .440 hitting percentage to take the first set, 25-17.
Mississippi Valley State wasted little time establishing momentum, jumping out to a 10-2 advantage behind strong offensive contributions from
Taylor Wooten,
Brooklyn Brunt and
Aniyah Moore. The Delta Devils extended their lead to 15-4 and maintained control throughout the set, with Moore delivering the final kill to secure the opening-frame victory.
Wooten led the Delta Devils offensively, finishing with a team-high 10 kills, three service aces and five digs. Brunt and
Hannah St. Croix added seven kills apiece, while Moore and
Aubrie Walker contributed five kills each.
Grambling State (10-13, 6-5 SWAC) responded in the second set, using a balanced offensive attack to claim a 25-14 victory. Despite five kills from Wooten in the frame, the Tigers found their rhythm offensively, recording 17 kills and hitting .371 to even the match at one set apiece.
The Delta Devils continued to battle in the third set, with St. Croix providing three kills and Wooten contributing offensively. Valley kept the contest competitive early before Grambling State used several scoring runs to pull away for a 25-15 victory.
In the fourth set, Mississippi Valley State looked to extend the match, but Grambling State maintained its offensive pressure and secured the 25-14 decision to close out the four-set contest.
Defensively,
Taylor Wilson anchored the Delta Devils with a team-high 15 digs, while
Kameryn Browne and
Ashlynn Hawkins each collected eight digs.
Dashaun Pinesette added five digs to the defensive effort.
Browne directed Valley's offense with a team-high 17 assists, eight digs and one service ace, while
Erin Mims contributed 11 assists.
As a team, Mississippi Valley State finished with 34 kills, 30 assists, 46 digs and four service aces. The Delta Devils recorded their strongest offensive performance in the opening set, demonstrating their ability to execute effectively against conference competition.
Grambling State was led by Lainy Evans with 11 kills and 13 digs, while Kenya Lucas added 10 kills. Alayna Howard directed the Tigers' offense with 38 assists.
Despite the setback, the Delta Devils showcased their offensive potential in the opening frame and will look to build on that performance as SWAC competition continues.
Match Leaders – Mississippi Valley State
Taylor Wooten: 10 kills, 3 service aces, 5 digs
Brooklyn Brunt: 7 kills
Hannah St. Croix: 7 kills, 1 block assist
Aniyah Moore: 5 kills
Aubrie Walker: 5 kills, 3 digs, 1 block assist
Kameryn Browne: 17 assists, 8 digs, 1 service ace
Erin Mims: 11 assists, 1 block assist
Taylor Wilson: 15 digs
Ashlynn Hawkins: 8 digs
Dashaun Pinesette: 5 digs
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