DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Volleyball welcomes Mississippi Valley State and Jackson State to Daytona Breach this weekend for a pair of Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) matches that top off a "Senior Appreciation Day" weekend for the Wildcats at Richard V. Moore Gymnasium.
 
MATCH #27: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats vs. Mississippi Valley State Delta Devilettes
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m.
WHERE: Richard V. Moore Gymnasium (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
LIVE STATS: Click Here
WATCH: CatEye Network
 
MATCH #28: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats vs. Jackson State Tigers
WHEN: Sunday, Nov. 17, at Noon
WHERE: Richard V. Moore Gymnasium (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
LIVE STATS: Click Here
WATCH: CatEye Network
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Bethune-Cookman is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
▪ Mississippi Valley State is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
▪ Jackson State is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with everything Bethune-Cookman Volleyball this year by following the Wildcats on all their social media platforms. You can follow @BCUVolleyball on Instagram and @BCUVolleyball on Twitter.
 
FAN INFORMATION/PROMOTIONS
▪ Doors open one hour prior to first serve at the South entrance of Richard V. Moore Gymnasium.
▪ The clear bag policy is in effect for all Bethune-Cookman Athletics events.
▪ Theme: Senior Appreciation Day
▪ B-CU is honoring five senior student-athletes, in addition to social media manager Victoria Samedy prior to the match against Jackson State.
 
NEWS & NOTES
▪ Bethune-Cookman has won eight of its last nine matches entering the weekend, with the lone setback coming to in-state foe Florida A&M last weekend.
▪ The Wildcats will be honoring seniors Alisha Callender, Niara Hightower, Elizabeth Phillips, Ktyal Price, Jasmine Robinson and Victoria Samedy before the match against Jackson State.
▪ Niara Hightower leads the SWAC in blocks with 122 under her belt. Earlier this season, she eclipsed 300 total blocks for her career.
▪ Outside hitter Jasmine Robinson tops the Cats with 237 kills, as well as 30 service aces. Elizabeth Phillips has 167 kills.
▪ Senior setter Alisha Callender has a team-leading 460 assists, while freshman setter Nola Hemphill has 430 assists.
▪ Three different Wildcats have 200 digs or more – Rylee Davis (227), Phillips (217) and Callender (211).
▪ Ktyal Price is second on the B-CU squad with 86 blocks (675 assisted).
 
BCU VS. MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE SERIES
▪ Bethune-Cookman leads the all-time series against Mississippi Valley State, 8-0.
▪ The Wildcats claimed a 3-0 victory from the Delta Devilettes earlier this season in Itta Bena, Mississippi.
▪ The first meeting in the series took place Sept. 12, 2009, in Montgomery, Alabama, on the campus of Alabama State.
 
SCOUTING THE DELTA DEVILETTES
▪ Mississippi Valley State comes into the weekend 4-17 overall and sits 3-11 in the SWAC.
▪ Two Delta Devilettes own 100 kills or more on the year – Alaya Rhodes (198) and Lyric Edwards (107).
▪ The setter for MVSU is Mikayla Lee, as she leads the squad with 417 assists. Behind her is Carrington Archer with 125 assists.
▪ Rhodes, a freshman outside hitter from Memphis, Tennessee, also leads the team in digs (161). Mariana Franco is second on the team in that department with 131 digs.
▪ MVSU is topped in blocks by Edwards with 35 and followed by Jadyn Rambo with 28 blocks.
 
BCU VS. JACKSON STATE SERIES
▪ Jackson State leads the series against Bethune-Cookman, 6-4.
▪ JSU claimed a 3-1 win from the Wildcats earlier this season in Jackson, Mississippi.
▪ B-CU's last win over the Tigers came by way of a 3-1 decision in Tallahassee, Florida, on Nov. 13, 2022.
▪ The Cats won the first three meetings in the series in 1998, 2003 and 2018, respectively.
▪ Following that, the Tigers of JSU collected three consecutive wins in 2021 and 2022, respectfully.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
▪ First-year head coach Marcus Hereford has the Tigers of Jackson State 16-9 overall, while sitting second place in the SWAC with a 12-2 mark.
▪ The two SWAC setbacks for the Tigers have been against Florida A&M and Alabama A&M, respectively.
▪ Jayden James is the Tigers' leader in kills with 328, and it is teammate Alexis Williams second with 258 kills.
▪ JSU used two setters, led at the top by Karys Dove with 586 assists, and followed by Naija Gadis with 398.
▪ Trinity Bryant is atop the Tigers squad for digs with 308. James has 231 digs, and it's Williams behind her with 225 digs of her own.
▪ the Tigers have Jordan Joens sitting second in the SWAC for blocks with 103.
 
A QUICK LOOK AT THE CATS
2024 Record – 14-12 (.538) // 2024 SWAC Record – 11-3 (.786) // Last 5 Matches – 4-1 (.800) // Last 10 Matches – 8-2 (.800) // Last 15 Matches – 11-4 (.733) // Head Coach Brittany Williams is seeking her 98th all-time victory when facing Mississippi Valley State.
 
UP NEXT
The SWAC Volleyball Tournament takes place November 22-24, and is being hosted by Grambling State in Grambling, Louisiana.
 
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