ALBANY, Ga. — Edward Waters University Volleyball opened SIAC Crossover action with a pair of setbacks on Friday, falling in a five-set battle to Central State before dropping its nightcap against Spring Hill at the HPER Gym on the campus of Albany State University.
The Lady Tigers (1-5, 0-2 SIAC) showed resilience throughout the opening match, rallying from a two-set deficit before ultimately falling to Central State, 3-2 (21-25, 19-25, 25-20, 25-19, 17-19). EWU then returned to the floor later Friday and fell to Spring Hill in straight sets, 3-0 (14-25, 21-25, 16-25).
Lady Tigers Rally Before Falling in Five to Central State
Edward Waters found itself in an early hole against Central State after dropping the opening two sets, 25-21 and 25-19. Rather than going quietly, the Lady Tigers responded by taking the third set, 25-20, before forcing a decisive fifth set with a 25-19 victory in the fourth.
The deciding frame turned into a back-and-forth battle featuring 12 ties and five lead changes. Edward Waters fought beyond the standard 15-point finish before Central State finally escaped with a 19-17 victory to close the match.
Norah Laurore led the Lady Tigers' offensive effort with a match-high 16 kills while hitting .263. Laurore also recorded 10 digs and three service aces to finish with a double-double and a team-high 19.5 points. Heylianis Aquino added nine kills, nine digs and two aces, while Genesis Melenciano provided an efficient seven kills on 14 attacks with a .286 hitting percentage.
Freshman setter Naraiya Thompson directed the EWU attack with 26 assists while adding seven digs. Brooklyn Jones contributed seven assists and six digs, while Ayanna Blocker anchored the back row with 21 digs. Dimaliz Figueroa added 11 digs as Edward Waters finished with 78 as a team.
The Lady Tigers also made their presence felt at the net. Zakiyyah Abdul recorded two solo blocks and five block assists, while Jewel Helmuth added a solo block and a block assist. EWU totaled three solo blocks and 12 block assists in the contest.
Spring Hill Takes Nightcap
Edward Waters returned to action later in the evening against Spring Hill but was unable to carry its comeback momentum into the second match.
Spring Hill took the opening set 25-14 before EWU put together its strongest push in the second. The frame featured seven ties and three lead changes, but the Badgers eventually pulled away for a 25-21 victory. Spring Hill then completed the sweep with a 25-16 decision in the third.
Jewel Helmuth delivered an efficient all-around performance for Edward Waters, recording five kills on six attacks with just one error for a .667 hitting percentage. She also contributed two solo blocks, four block assists and a service ace to finish with a team-high 10 points.
Laurore and Kalia Williams shared the team lead with six kills apiece. Williams added nine digs, while Melenciano finished with five kills on nine swings and hit .333. Thompson totaled a team-high 13 assists and two service aces, while Shaniah Jones added 10 assists. Blocker and Williams paced the Lady Tigers defensively with nine digs each.
Edward Waters finished the match with 24 kills and six service aces while producing two solo blocks and 12 block assists. Spring Hill countered with 37 kills and a .247 team hitting percentage to secure the three-set victory.
The Lady Tigers will look to bounce back on Day 2 of the SIAC Crossover, wrapping up their weekend in Albany with matches against Miles College and Lane College.
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