WILBERFORCE, Ohio – Savannah State volleyball opened play at the second SIAC Volleyball Crossover with a convincing straight-set victory over Lane College Friday afternoon inside Beacom-Lewis Gymnasium.
The Tigers defeated Lane 3-0, taking the match by scores of 25-22, 25-12 and 25-11. With the victory, Savannah State improved to 3-11 overall and 2-5 in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.
Savannah State finished the match with 30 kills while hitting .203 as a team and held Lane to 21 kills and a -.048 hitting percentage. The Tigers also held an 8-2 advantage in service aces and finished with 32 digs.
Nyalah Smith led Savannah State offensively with seven kills, while Anaya Yates added six kills and a service ace. Kacie McLendon-Johnson turned in an efficient performance at the net, finishing with four kills without an error on six attacks for a .667 hitting percentage. She also contributed a solo block and two block assists.
Kayden Lawrence added four kills, while Harmony Flagg and Faith Woods each recorded three.
Savannah State utilized both Amiyah Walker and Lela Curry in the setting game. Walker finished with 10 assists and five digs, while Curry added 10 assists, two kills and two service aces.
Defensively, Kira Raby led the Tigers with a match-high 12 digs. Savannah State also received a strong performance from Hope White at the service line, as White recorded a match-high four aces.
The opening set was the closest of the afternoon. Savannah State built a 17-10 advantage before Lane battled back to pull within 23-22. The Tigers answered when Yates put down a kill to reach set point before a Lane service error closed out the 25-22 victory.
Savannah State took control of the match in the second set. After Lane pulled even at 10-10, the Tigers responded with a 5-0 run to take a 15-10 lead. Savannah State later closed the frame by scoring 10 of the final 11 points, including kills from Smith, Curry and Yates, to cruise to a 25-12 victory.
The Tigers carried that momentum into the third set.
With Savannah State leading 6-2, White stepped to the service line and helped spark an 11-0 run that broke the set open. White recorded an ace during the surge, while Woods, Yates and Flagg supplied kills as Savannah State raced out to a commanding 17-2 advantage.
Lane managed to trim the deficit late, but the outcome was never in doubt as the Tigers completed the sweep with a 25-11 third-set victory.
Savannah State hit .450 in the second set with 12 kills against just three errors before posting a .263 hitting percentage in the final frame.
The Tigers continue play at the Crossover on Friday evening against LeMoyne-Owen College at 7 p.m. inside Beacom-Lewis Gymnasium.
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