ITTA BENA, Miss. – Head Coach Brittany Williams and Bethune-Cookman Volleyball begins its fourth season in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) this weekend when the Wildcats travel to the "Magnolia State" to face Mississippi Valley State and Jackson State.
 
The Cats first take on Mississippi Valley State in Itta, Bena, Mississippi, on Friday, Sept. 27, at 8 p.m. ET. The trip concludes with a trip to Jackson State on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 1 p.m. ET.
 
MATCH #13: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats at Mississippi Valley State Delta Devilettes
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m. CT
WHERE: R.W. Harrison HPER Complex (Itta Bena, Miss.)
LIVE STATS: Click here
WATCH: MVSU Sports Network
 
MATCH #14: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats at Jackson State Tigers
WHEN: Sunday, Sept. 29, at Noon CT
WHERE: Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center (Jackson, Miss.)
LIVE STATS: Click here
WATCH: Jackson State Sports 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.
 
NEWS & NOTES
▪ Bethune-Cookman is seeking win number 22 all-time in SWAC play this weekend as the Wildcats travel to Itta Bena, Mississippi on Friday evening.
▪ Senior middle blocker Niara Hightower is approaching 250 career blocks, now owning 238 under her belt.
▪ The Wildcats have dropped four (4) five-set matches this season, including a pair last weekend to Jacksonville and Columbia, respectively, during the JU Invitational presented by Hampton Inn East Regency in Jacksonville, Florida.
▪ Senior outside hitter Jasmine Robinson has already collected 100 kills for the season, hitting at a .176 clip for the year and having registered six service aces in her first season for the Maroon and Gold.
▪ Elizabeth Phillips (75) and Hightower (72) are second and third on the team in kills, respectfully.
▪ Senior setter Alisha Callender tops the squad with 206 assists, followed closely by freshman Nola Hemphill (201).
▪ Together, Callender and Hemphill each have 12 service aces on the year.
▪ Callender has now recorded four (4) double-doubles on the year, including three in her last four matches.
▪ Junior libero Rylee Davis has pulled in double-digit digs in five matches on the year.
▪ Hightower has a team-leading 58 blocks, followed by Sierra Herndon (36) and Ktyal Price (30).
 
BCU VS. MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE SERIES
▪ Bethune-Cookman leads the all-time series against Mississippi Valley State, 7-0.
▪ The last meeting between the two-sides was a five-set thriller in Itta Bena on Nov. 5, 2023. B-CU won the first meeting of the 2023 campaign by a 3-0 count in Moore Gymnasium in Daytona Beach.
▪ 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 with a 1-6 overall record, and a 1-0 mark at home on the campaign.
▪ The one win on the year came in a 3-2 fashion against Jarvis Christian College on September 3.
▪ The Delta Devilettes are led in kills by Alaya Rhodes (69). Teammates Taylor Wooten (34) and Lyric Edwards (30) follow in that department.
▪ Carrington Archer is the primary setter with a team-high 112 assists. Mikayla Lee has 77 assists for the Delta Devilettes.
▪ Two players have 40-plus digs on the year in the form of Mariana Franco (46) and Rhodes (44).
▪ The top blockers for the Delta Devilettes are Lyric Edwards (16) and Aniyah Moore (11).
 
BCU VS. JACKSON STATE SERIES
▪ Jackson State leads the series against Bethune-Cookman by the slimmest of margins, 5-4.
▪ The Tigers swept last year's two meetings, including a 3-1 decision in Daytona Beach on Sept. 29, 2023.
▪ B-CU's last win came via the 3-1 count 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 is at the helm of the Tigers, taking over for longtime head coach Rose Washington who retired at the conclusion of the 2023 season.
▪ The JSU Tigers have a 4-7 weekend entering the weekend, as they face off against Florida A&M on Friday, Sept. 27.
▪ JSU has collected key wins against Murray State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Southern Illinois and Central Arkansas, respectfully.
▪ Alexis Williams leads the team with 113 kills, as Jayden James has 109 kills to put both over the 100-kills threshold for the season.
▪ The Tigers use two setters in the offensive system, led at the top by Karys Dove (220 assists) and followed by Naija Gadis (163 assists).
▪ Three players have double-digit service aces – Williams (16), James (12) and Dove (10).
▪ Trinity Bryant heads up the defense with 133 digs, as Williams also has 100-plus digs, owning 110 to her credit for the season.
▪ The blocks are supplied by the trio of Jordan Jones (46), Nyjha Marcelin (23) and Dove (23).
 
A QUICK LOOK AT THE CATS
2024 Record – 3-9 (.250) // 2024 SWAC Record – 0-0 (.000) // Last 5 Matches – 0-5 (.000) // Last 10 Matches – 2-8 (.200) // Last 15 Matches – 4-11 (.267) // Bethune-Cookman is seeking its 22nd and 23rd wins all-time in SWAC play since joining the league in 2021.
 
UP NEXT
Bethune-Cookman returns home for the first time in over a month, as the Maroon and Gold play host to SWAC opponents Alabama A&M (Oct. 4) and Alabama State (Oct. 6) inside Richard V. Moore Gymnasium.
 
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