WILBERFORCE, Ohio — Edward Waters University Women's Volleyball continued its strong run through conference play Friday, sweeping the opening day of the SIAC Crossover #2 with victories over LeMoyne-Owen College and Tuskegee University at Beacom/Lewis Gym.
The Lady Tigers opened the day with a dominant 3-0 sweep of LeMoyne-Owen before surviving a five-set battle against Tuskegee, 3-2, in the afternoon session. The two victories improved Edward Waters to 6-7 overall and 5-3 in SIAC play.
Edward Waters has now won five of its last six matches, including five consecutive SIAC contests, as the Lady Tigers continue to climb through the conference standings.
Edward Waters 3, LeMoyne-Owen 0
The Lady Tigers set the tone early with a convincing straight-set victory over LeMoyne-Owen, winning 25-17, 25-17 and 25-15.
Senior Norah Laurore led the EWU attack with 11 kills on just 17 attempts, posting an impressive .412 hitting percentage. Brooklyn Jones added seven kills while hitting .250 and finished with a team-high 12 digs. Kalia Williams provided a spark with five kills on 10 attempts for a .400 hitting percentage.
Freshman setter Naraiya Thompson directed the offense with 26 assists, three kills and an ace. Edward Waters also created problems from the service line, recording nine aces in the match. Dimaliz Figueroa, Autumn James, Jones and Heylianis Aquino each recorded two aces.
The Lady Tigers saved their best offensive set for last. EWU recorded 15 kills against only three errors in the third set, hitting .414 to close out the sweep. For the match, Edward Waters hit .250 with 35 kills, while limiting LeMoyne-Owen to just .034 hitting and 21 kills.
Edward Waters 3, Tuskegee 2
Edward Waters faced a much different challenge in its second match of the day, jumping out to a two-set advantage before holding off a Tuskegee comeback for a thrilling 25-14, 25-23, 20-25, 18-25, 16-14 victory.
The Lady Tigers came out firing in the opening set, hitting .313 while committing only two attack errors to cruise to a 25-14 win. EWU then edged Tuskegee 25-23 in the second to move within one set of completing a second sweep.
Tuskegee responded by taking the third and fourth sets to force a decisive fifth frame. The finale proved to be a battle, but Edward Waters prevailed 16-14 to complete the perfect opening day.
Brooklyn Jones led the Lady Tigers offensively with 15 kills and 18 digs, recording a double-double while hitting .243. Heylianis Aquino added 11 kills and 17 digs, while Laurore finished with 10 kills and five service aces.
Thompson once again orchestrated the EWU offense, handing out 36 assists to go along with seven digs and three aces. Jewel Helmuth added five kills without an attack error, hitting .313, while also contributing a solo block and a block assist.
Serving proved to be a difference-maker for the Lady Tigers, who finished the five-set battle with 14 aces compared to six for Tuskegee. Laurore led the charge with five, Thompson added three, Autumn James had two, and Jones, Aquino, Helmuth and Figueroa each contributed one.
The victory capped an unbeaten Friday for Edward Waters and continued a stretch that has seen the Lady Tigers find their rhythm in SIAC competition. After opening conference play 0-3, EWU has responded with five consecutive SIAC victories to move to 5-3 in league play.
Edward Waters will wrap up play at the SIAC Crossover #2 on Saturday, October 3, when the Lady Tigers take on Kentucky State University at 9:00 a.m. EST at John Wooden Family Fieldhouse in Xenia, Ohio.
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