HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Bethune-Cookman Volleyball travels to Alabama A&M and Alabama State this weekend for a pair of key SWAC matchups, beginning with a Friday night contest in Montgomery, Alabama against the Hornets at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT).
 
MATCH #15: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats at Alabama A&M Bulldogs
WHEN: Friday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT)
WHERE: T.M. Elmore Gym (Huntsville, Ala.)
LIVE STATS: Click Here
 
MATCH #16: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats at Alabama State Hornets
WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 5, at 1 p.m. ET (Noon CT)
WHERE: Lockhart Gymnasium (Montgomery, Ala.)
WATCH: Hornet Sports Network
LIVE STATS: Click Here
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Bethune-Cookman is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
▪ Alabama A&M is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
▪ Alabama 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
▪ Last season, the Wildcats swept both series against the Bulldogs and Hornets, respectfully, for the first time in a single season in school history.
▪ Bethune-Cookman is hitting .157 as a team, with opponents hitting at a .211 clip.
▪ Freshman setter Melissa Gonzalez leads the Wildcats in service aces (21).
▪ The duo of seniors Tiyanna Preston and Ariel "AJ" Simmons top the team in kills, as Preston holds 98, and it's Simmons having tallied 94 on the campaign.
▪ Under Head Coach Brittany Williams, the two-setter system of Gonzalez and sophomore Nola Hemphill is headlined by Hemphill with a team-leading 253 assists. Gonzalez owns 163 assists under her belt.
▪ Graduate student Sthefany Carvalho tops the Cats with 217 digs (4.34 dig/s), followed by sophomore outside hitter Amya Jennings with 109 digs (2.37 dig/s).
▪ Kaleigh Williams, a freshman middle blocker, is ranked atop the squad for total blocks (63), with 54 blocks coming by way of assist.
▪ Sierra Herndon has registered 33 total blocks (26 assisted).
 
BCU VS. ALABAMA A&M SERIES
▪ The Wildcats lead the all-time series against the Bulldogs by a 6-5 count.
▪ Last season, Bethune-Cookman swept Alabama A&M for the first time in a single season since 2021.
▪ B-CU has won four of the last five meetings against AAMU, with the lone setback occurring in Huntsville, Alabama in 2023.
▪ Across the series, eight of the 11 encounters have been 3-0 decisions for and against. Two of the other three went to five sets.
▪ The Cats dropped the first three meetings all-time against the Bulldogs before the 2021 sweep – the first year B-CU joined the SWAC.
 
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
▪ Alabama A&M comes into the weekend with an 11-3 record under second-year head coach Dr. Brandon Reeves.
▪ The Bulldogs are 2-0 in league play after defeating Grambling State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff a week ago in Huntsville.
▪ Fatima Ramirez tops the Bulldogs in kills (150), while teammates Rayishon Jackman (141) and Nisaan Martinez (124) follow with 100-plus kills of their own.
▪ AAMU employs Briana Smith as the primary setter with a team-leading 300 assists (6.12 a/s).
▪ As a team, the Bulldogs have tallied 104 service aces, while allowing just 49 from opponents.
▪ Defensively, Kelani Talakai tops the squad with 187 digs (3.82 dig/s), followed in triple-digits by Jackman (120).
▪ The Bulldogs lead the SWAC in points, service aces, hitting percentage, assists and kills.
▪ Sana Dennis holds a team-high 40 blocks (30 assisted). Martinez has 35, and Carys Sanabria has 30.
 
BCU VS. ALABAMA STATE SERIES
▪ Bethune-Cookman owns an 11-7 all-time record against Alabama State having won the last two in the series.
▪ Last season, the Wildcats swept the Hornets for the first time since 2001, as both matches were nonconference with B-CU in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) at the time.
▪ Since joining the SWAC, ASU leads the series, 7-2.
▪ In Alabama, B-CU is 4-3 against the Hornets dating back to 2001.
▪ The Cats won the first nine meetings in the series from 2000 until joining the SWAC in 2021.
 
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
▪ Alabama State comes into the weekend 3-11 overall, as well as 2-0 in the SWAC after defeating Grambling State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff a week ago at home.
▪ The Hornets are led in the kills category by Jyriah Morgan with 161. Behind her is Kaylen Hines with 93 kills.
▪ A two-setter system is sued by the Hornets as Kamrynn Clay heads up the duo with 277 assists (6.16 a/s).
▪ Alabama State is highlighted defensively by Sierra Scanian with 106 digs (2.30 dig/s).
▪ Two players have 30-plus blocks – Zanobia Willis (34) and Kaylen Hines (32).
▪ As a team, the Hornets are hitting .180 as a team, while opponents use a .252 clip across the campaign.
 
A QUICK LOOK AT THE CATS
2025 Record – 4-10 (.286) // 2025 SWAC Record – 1-1 (.500) // Last 5 Matches – 1-4 (.200) // Last 10 Matches – 2-8 (.200) // Last 15 Matches – 4-11 (.267) // Brittany Williams and the Cats have won 33 SWAC matches all-time coming into the weekend.
 
UP NEXT
Bethune-Cookman hosts in-state foe Florida A&M on Wednesday, October 8, at 6 p.m., inside Richard V. Moore Gymnasium.
 
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