HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Despite 17 kills from Tiyanna Preston on Friday evening, Bethune-Cookman Volleyball fell just short away to Alabama A&M as the Bulldogs turned in a 3-2 victory in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) match at Elmore Gymnasium in Huntsville, Alabama. The Bulldogs took the match on scores of 17-25, 25-14, 25-18, 24-26, 15-9.
 
Bethune-Cookman (4-11, 1-2 SWAC) trailed 2-1 in the match before stringing together a 26-24 overtime win in the fourth set and force the Wildcats third five-set match of the campaign. B-CU has lost its last two five-set contests including a home match to Charleston Southern in the Bash at the Beach back on September 12.
 
The Wildcats trailed 24-21 following an attack error from sophomore outside hitter Amya Jennings. Sierra Herndon, a senior middle blocker, responded for the Maroon and Gold with one of her three kills in the frame. Alabama A&M's Caitlin Shaw immediately struck a ball out of play to bring B-CU to within 24-23.
 
Jennings, a native of Edina, Minnesota, then followed with a kill of her own to atone for the earlier miscue, her only ball out of play in the set. Ariel Simons joined Herndon on a block of the Bulldogs' Fatima Ramirez to put the Wildcats on top 25-24, the first lead for B-CU in the frame since 17-16. Another Jennings kill, one of her three during the set, appropriately ended the frame and gave the Cats a 26-24 win to force the all-decisive fifth set.
 
Alabama A&M (12-3, 3-0 SWAC) received three kills each from the duo of Nisaan Martinez and Ramirez to give the hosts the 15-9 win in the frame and keeping the Bulldogs 100 percent SWAC start intact.
 
Neveah Donahoe, a junior outside hitter, sparked B-CU in the opening frame with the Katy, Texas native registered a set-high matching four kills on 10 swings. Herndon joined teammate Tiyanna Ptrestojn with three kills in the opener, as the Cats claimed a 25-17 win to begin the match. B-CU hit its highest percentage of the night in the opening frame with 16 kills on 40 swings as a unit.
 
Donahoe and Preston were impressive for the Cats in the start, while the Bulldogs committed three errors, including one bad set, which allowed the visitors a 10-3 advantage early-on. AAMU got back into it at 11-10 with a 7-1 run of their own as Carys Sanabria and Shaw collected blocks, as well as B-CU being forced into three errors of its own during the serving run by Rayishon Jackman. The Cats would use a pair of Preston kills late to surge the lead back to 19-12, later using a Kaleigh Williams block to fuel the rush.
 
A Donahoe kill closed the 25-17 set win for the Cats.
 
AAMU tied the match at 1-1 before the break with its highest hitting percentage of the night, tallying a .429 clip in the second set that saw the Bulldogs collect 19 kills on 35 swings with just four errors. Ramirez would provide seven kills in the set and teammate Jackman added five for the 25-14 win. Ramirez would hit .700 in the frame, respectfully.
 
Bethune-Cookman was held to just .136 hitting in the third set despite Preston, a senior from Jonesboro, Georgia, posting seven kills in the set. No other Wildcat would have more than two kills, that coming by way of Jennings who also delivered four digs.
 
AAMU was led on the night by two double-doubles from Jackman (23 kills, 20 digs) and Ramirez (22 kills, 12 digs). Sanabria provided four blocks (two solo), and setter Briana Smith had a match-high 36 assists. Kelani Talakai pulled in a match-high 40 digs as well.
 
For B-CU Preston was the offensive leader with her career-high 17-kill performance, going on to add four digs and a solo block. Also touching double-digit kills for the Cats were Jennings (11) as she also notched a double-double with 15 digs and adding two assisted blocks. Birthday girl Simmons totaled 11 kills of her own with a match-high tying five blocks (four assisted). Herndon also put down five blocks (four assisted), as well as freshman middle blocker Kaleigh Williams who had five of her own. Setter Nola Hemphill provided 27 assists and 11 digs for her double-double. And it was libero Sthefany Carvalho reeling in a team-high matching 15 digs.
 
Bethune-Cookman stays in Alabama to face off against the Alabama State Hornets on Sunday at Noon CT (1 p.m. ET) in Montgomery.
 
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