ATLANTA, Ga. — Edward Waters University Women's Volleyball continued its surge through SIAC play Thursday evening, earning its third consecutive conference victory with a thrilling 3-2 road win over Clark Atlanta University inside L.S. Epps Gymnasium.
The Lady Tigers improved to 4-6 overall and 3-3 in SIAC play, handing a Clark Atlanta squad that entered the night 10-2 overall its third loss of the season. Edward Waters prevailed by set scores of 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 23-25 and 15-7.
The victory featured career-best performances from senior right side Norah Laurore and freshman setter Naraiya Thompson. Laurore powered the EWU attack with a career-high 20 kills, while Thompson orchestrated the offense with a career-best 50 assists as the Lady Tigers finished with 58 kills.
Clark Atlanta opened the match strongly, hitting .435 in the first set and taking the frame 25-20. Edward Waters responded in a tightly contested second set that featured 14 ties and six lead changes, eventually pulling out a 25-23 victory to even the match at one set apiece.
The Lady Tigers carried that momentum into the third. EWU posted 13 kills and hit .233 while holding Clark Atlanta to a .061 hitting percentage, taking the set 25-21 to move within one frame of the victory.
Clark Atlanta refused to go away, answering with a 25-23 victory in the fourth to force a deciding fifth set.
With the match on the line, Edward Waters delivered its best defensive performance of the night.
The Lady Tigers held the Panthers to just three kills against six errors on 20 attacks for a -.150 hitting percentage in the fifth set. EWU countered with six kills and just two errors before running away with a 15-7 victory to close out the road triumph.
Laurore's career night was one of several standout offensive performances for Edward Waters. Her 20 kills came on 40 attacks as she hit .250 and added four block assists for a team-high 22 points.
Heylianis Aquino delivered another big performance with 13 kills, 10 digs and five service aces, finishing with 18 points. Zakiyyah Abdul was highly efficient in the middle, pounding down 11 kills on just 16 attacks with three errors for a match-best .500 hitting percentage. Abdul also contributed two service aces, one solo block and five block assists to finish with 16.5 points.
Thompson's career-high 50 assists were only part of a productive all-around evening for the freshman. She added six service aces, six digs, two kills and two block assists, accounting for nine points. Her six aces were a match high as Edward Waters finished with 15 service aces, more than double Clark Atlanta's seven.
Defensively, Ayanna Blocker led the Lady Tigers with 13 digs, while Brooklyn Jones and Aquino recorded 10 apiece. Edward Waters also totaled one solo block and 14 block assists, with Abdul and Laurore combining for nine block assists.
The match was tightly contested throughout, featuring 29 ties and 16 lead changes, but Edward Waters saved its most decisive stretch for the final set to complete the road victory.
With three straight SIAC victories now in hand, the Lady Tigers will step outside conference play for their next test. Edward Waters returns to action Tuesday, September 29, traveling to St. Augustine, Florida, for a non-conference road matchup against Flagler College.
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