DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The LadyCats of Bethune-Cookman volleyball opened Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play, Sunday, as the Lady Bulldogs of South Carolina State traveled to Richard V. Moore Gymnasium. The aggressive attack of SCSU found holes in the B-CU defense and allowed them to grab a 3-0 victory.
In the first set, B-CU fell into a small hole early, but SCSU stayed on top of it, expanding the lead in small increments, leading 13-6 at mid-set. The LadyCats made several runs to climb back in, but only came as close as three. The Lady Bulldogs went on to win the first, 25-19.
The LadyCats played with much more zeal and composure in the second, trading scores with SCSU, with 10 total ties and seven lead changes in the set. SCSU was able to create a crack of separation late in the set, breaking out of the 17-all tie with an 8-2 run that sent the set final at 25-19.
In the third, B-CU hung right with SCSU, and led often throughout the middle of the set, but SCSU wasn't far behind, with a total of 11 ties in the set. All knotted up at 18, SCSU broke into a 7-2 run, fueled by B-CU attack errors and an injury to setter Alexis Bliese, ending the set with SCSU on top 25-20 and the giving the Lady Bulldogs a 3-0 victory in the match.
B-CU found issues with completing blocks at the net, out blocked 10 - 2.5 by the Lady Bulldogs. Some of that can be attributed to lapses in team passing, which would funnel SCSU shots to the best defensive corner in blocking and digs.
“When we see a team trying to hit a certain area, we need to make sure that our blockers are taking that area away from them,” said Head Coach Vanessa Cogswell, “and we have to make that adjustment quickly.”
As a team, SCSU hit .317, including a whopping .448 in the first set. The Lady Bulldogs averaged 14.6 kills per set, as B-CU struggled with attack errors in the match, hitting just .043 as a team.
SCSU made their own share of unforced errors, logging 17 service errors, but B-CU was unable to capitalize.
“We have to be better at being more aggressive,” said Cogswell of the offense. “We have to play smart, solid volleyball.”
Playing consistently well in this week's matches, Jessica Wilson topped the Lady Wildcats with 9 kills on a .217 hitting percentage. Jacqueline Woodyear added to her consistent play at libero with 14 digs.
The LadyCats (4-18, 0-1 MEAC) continue their home swing this week, with two more games at Moore Gym this week. First up is the first face-off with cross-state conference rival and defending MEAC champions. Florida A&M at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 13.
“We cannot take any team lightly, we have to go out and play our game, regardless of who's on the other side of the court,” Cogswell concluded.
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