PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – Bethune-Cookman's Mia Delahoussaye registered a match-high 11 kills Friday afternoon with the No. 8 seed Wildcats falling 3-0 to top-seeded Alabama State in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Volleyball Tournament housed inside the William J. Nicks Building. The tournament is being host by Prairie View A&M.
 
Alabama State took the match with scores of 25-14, 25-14 and 25-21, respectively.
 
Alabama State (18-12) collected the opening set with the Wildcats hitting just .185 in the frame. The Hornets countered with a .467 average, collecting 16 kills on 30 swings.
 
Niara Hightower, the 2023 SWAC Blocker of the Year, used an Alisha Callender assist to place a kill down the middle and knot the opening set at 4-4. The Hornets countered with A'Nylah Cobb using a pair of kills to run out to a 14-7 lead on the strength of a 7-1 run midway through the frame.
 
Cobb would post three kills down the stretch to give ASU the win in the opening set, 25-14.
 
The second set saw Bethune-Cookman (7-21) fall behind early with four attack errors and two service errors, allowing the Hornets to grab an 11-4 advantage. SWAC Player of the Year Jada Rhodes collected four kills in the second frame, with SWAC Setter of the Year Madison Beasley providing the majority of the assists.
 
In all, BCU hit at a negative percentage (-.056) with 10 errors, setting the stage for the 25-14 ASU win in the frame.
 
The third set saw the Cats surge out on a 6-0 run to take a 14-11 lead behind the play of Delahoussaye and AJ Simmons. The run also included an assisted block from Delahoussaye and Hightower, respectfully. With Bethune-Cookman leading 16-13 after a kill from Simmons off the set of Callender, a trio of unforced errors allowed the Hornets to tie the set at 16-all.
 
The Hornets' 7-1 run culminated with four (4) BCU errors in the stretch.
 
Throughout the match, Alabama State received eight kills apiece from four different players, including Rhodes and Cobb. Also contributing were Christyn Ashby and Jylen Whitten with eight kills as well. Beasley finished with 14 assists, while teammate Emily Brooks led the team with 17 assists. Temperance Chatman hauled in 11 digs.
 
Delahoussaye finished the afternoon with 11 kills and three digs for the Maroon and Gold. Simmons finished with seven kills of her own, while Callender concluded the match with 20 assists. Libero Essence Bell recorded a match-high 13 digs.
 
ASU now advances to face the winner of the No. 4 Alabama A&M vs. No. 5 Jackson State contest. The semifinal match is slated for Saturday, Nov. 18, at 2 p.m. CT.
 
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