NASHVILLE – Amya Jennings and Jasmine Robinson each posted 14 kills Friday evening as Bethune-Cookman defeated South Carolina State 3-1 at Kean Hall on the campus of Tennessee State. The match was the first of three on the weekend for B-CU in this year's Tiger Invitational hoisted by Tennessee State.
 
Bethune-Cookman secured the match on set scores of 23-25, 25-17, 25-17 and 25-21.
 
In a match that featured opposing head coaches that are best friends off the court with Bethune-Cookman's Brittany Williams and South Carolina State's Melissa Robinson, B-CU and S.C. State had not met since both were members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in 2019.
 
After dropping the opening set by a 25-23 decision, Bethune-Cookman (3-4) hit .250 as a team in the second set behind five kills from freshman outside hitter Amya Jennings. The Edina, Minnesota, native hit at a .625 clip in the frame, as the Wildcats jumped out to a 13-7 advantage following a block from Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Preseason Blocker of the Year Niara Hightower and Ariel Simmons. Back-to-back kills from senior outside hitter Jasmine Robinson and Jennings would allow the Cats a 19-13 lead.
 
South Carolina State (1-4) accounted for two service errors and two attack errors down the stretch, while a Nola Hemphill service ace for the Cats tied the match at 1-1 courtesy a 25-17 win for B-CU in the second set.
 
The hot hitting for the Maroon and Gold continued in the third set as B-CU hit a match-high .300 in the frame behind four kills off the swing of Robinson – added another three kills from Jennings.
 
With the set tied at 8-all, Robinson and Jennings once again went back-to-back for kills, followed by a set error from SCSU's Miya Benson, allowing the Cats to stretch a 12-8 lead. The advantage became 18-9 for Bethune-Cookman as five consecutive points were produced with Alisha Callender serving. In the scoring run for the Cats, Simmons and Hightower combined for a block, with the latter also registering one of her two kills in the frame. In all, B-CU had four service aces in the set, with the addition of four blocks from four different players.
 
Despite SCSU outperforming B-CU in the hitting column during the third set, the Cats recorded five team blocks with another two service aces in the set – the aces coming by way of Hemphill and Jennings, respectively.
 
SCSU led 4-0 early-on, before an 11-2 rally by the Wildcats began with another Hightower/Simmons block combination – their third of the evening together. Elizabeth Phillips' kill off the set of Hemphill was followed by a Bulldogs attack error off the swing of Hedia Lewis, spawning an S.C. State timeout.
 
The Bulldogs would eventually tie the set at 17-17 with a McKinley Roach block off a Hightower attack. But the next four points would go to the Maroon and Gold when Jennings placed a kill, bookended by her own service ace to make it 21-17 in favor of B-CU. Another Hemphill service ace and a kill from Robinson closed the set and match with a 25-21 score in the fourth frame.
 
South Carolina State was led in the match by Xaria Pickett with 19 kills, while teammate Hailey Harris chimed in with 10 kills of her own. Kaia Barnett led the Dogs with 39 assists. And it was libero Benson pulling in a match-high 22 digs.
 
As for B-CU, the Cats used a team-high matching 14 kills from Jennings and Robinson to pick up their second win in the last three outings. Robinson added two blocks to her cause, while Jennings produced six digs and a match-high four service aces. Hemphill supplied her side with 23 assists, while Callender added 15 assists as well. The defense was headlined by Phillips with nine digs, while Hightower and Simmons had five blocks (assisted) each on the night.
 
Bethune-Cookman continues play in the Tiger Invitational on Saturday with a match against Georgia State scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET.
 
Follow Bethune-Cookman Volleyball on X/Twitter (@BCUVolleyball) and Instagram (@BCUVolleyball) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) and BCUathletics.com.