DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman made it five consecutive wins Friday evening as the Wildcats downed Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3-0 in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Volleyball outing inside Richard V. Moore Gymnasium. In the win, B-CU wore pink to show support for breast cancer awareness.
 
Bethune-Cookman won the match with scores of 25-20, 25-13, 26-24.
 
With the Wildcats up 2-0 in the match, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-21, 1-9 SWAC) hit a team-high .294 in the third set, and using eight attack errors by B-CU and three service errors.
 
The Golden Lions used a Bethune-Cookman (11-11, 8-2 SWAC) service error and a Laila Fortson kill off the set of Lyla Jones to go ahead 19-14. Another Fortson kill pushed the visitors' lead at 20-16, sparking a B-CU timeout from Head Coach Brittany Williams. After the timeout, Ashanti Butler and Jones each went back-to-back with kills to put the Golden Lions lead at 22-16.
 
A service error from UAPB was followed by consecutive kill from redshirt senior outside hitter Elizabeth Philips, the current SWAC Defensive Player of the Week, to force a Golden Lions timeout with B-CU trailing 22-19. UAPB was serving for set-point at 24-19 when middle blocker Mecca Freeman registered a kill for the Wildcats.
 
A Jasmine Robison kill down the middle and a service ace from Phillips allowed Freeman and Niara Hightower to combine for a block and knot the score at 24-24. Another Hightower kill and a kill from setter Alisha Callender would cap a 7-0 run and close the match victory for the Maroon and Gold.
 
Bethune-Cookman hit .316 as a team in the second set while holding the Golden Lions to a negative hitting clip (-.103). Freeman placed three kills in the frame, and teammate Ktyal Price registered two kills and a block assist for the Cats. Robinson, the reigning SWAC Newcomer of the Week, also tallied three service aces in the set.
 
The opening set saw Price record a set-high five kills and Robinson amass four kills of her own with B-CU hitting .324 in the frame with 17 kills on 37 swings.
 
The Cats ran out to an early 8-2 lead with a Nola Hemphill service ace nestled in-between a pair of Robinson kills with an AJ Simmons kill of her own. Hightower and Simmons would provide the set-ending block to give the Wildcats the opening set victory.
 
UAPB was led offensive with the play of Fortson with a team-high 10 kills and a .714 hitting percentage for the night. Anaiah Jordan provided the Golden Lions with 13 assists and 10 digs for a double-double. Mackenzie McDowell recorded a match-high 17 digs.
 
For B-CU, Robison tallied 12 kills, nine digs and five service aces. Hemphill added 16 assists and Callender 14. Callender completed her double-double with 10 digs, while Phillips added nine digs of her own. Hightower also posted six blocks (five assisted).
 
Bethune-Cookman returns to action Sunday, Oct. 7, as the Cats host SWAC opponent Grambling State to Moore Gymnasium at noon.
 
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