DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman hit .337 as a team Sunday afternoon, as the Wildcats defeated visiting Mississippi Valley State by a count of 3-0 in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) volleyball matchup inside Richard V. Moore Gymnasium. BCU tallied set scores of 25-13, 25-12, 25-11 in earning its second SWAC win of the season.
 
Bethune-Cookman (2-13, 2-2 SWAC) raced out to a 12-3 lead in the opening set behind the play of AJ Simmons and Mia Delahoussaye. The two combined for eight kills in the set, while redshirt senior setter Madison Coates delivered 12 assists in the opening frame.
 
Mississippi Valley State (3-11, 0-3 SWAC) worked back into the set at 16-11, using a pair of BCU errors – one on serve and one on attack. But it would be the Wildcats scoring nine of the last 11 points in the frame, assisted by kills from Delahoussaye and Simmons down the stretch to secure the 25-13 set win.
 
Both teams hit at a rather high percentage in the second set, as MVSU solidified a .318 attack percentage, and BCU used a .412 hitting form itself.
 
Jasmine Moore registered a career-high set average with an .857 hitting percentage in tallying six kills on seven swings in the second frame. Delahoussaye added a .667 percentage with four kills on six total attacks. Meanwhile the Delta Devils used Ashlynn Hawkins' four kills against one error on six attacks in the set.
 
As a team, BCU netted 16 kills on 34 swings and just two errors en route to the 25-12 set win.
 
In the third set, Simmons had two assisted blocks while Niara Hightower had a solo and an assisted block for the Maroon and Gold. BCU hit at a .270 clip, holding the visiting Delta Devils to just -.059 in the frame. Elizabeth Phillips contributed four kills in the frame, while Chloe Conover came off the bench to add two kills of her own. The Cats took the set, 25-11.
 
MVSU was led on the afternoon by Hawkins with six kills and nine digs. Torre Giron supplied her side with four kills and six digs. Mikayla Lee recorded 14 assists and five digs from the setter position.
 
Bethune-Cookman was paced by the play of Delahoussaye reaching double-digit kills for the third time this season in supplying her side with 12 kills on 23 attacks. Moore added eight kills, while teammate Hightower posted seven kills, five digs and four blocks (three assisted). Coates delivered a season- and match-high 26 assists to go along with eight digs. Essence Bell pulled in a match- and season-best 19 digs to lead the Wildcats defensively.
 
The Maroon and Gold travel to the first SWAC Cluster of the season Sunday, Oct. 8, in Houston. The event will be hosted by Texas Southern at the Health & Physical Education Arena.
 
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