Volleyball drops home finale against SUNO
Wiley University volleyball player Shyla Starks led all players with 11 kills. Still, it wasn't enough for the Lady Wildcats, who fell in three sets (25-17, 26-24, 25-20) against Southern University at New Orleans in their home finale Saturday at Alumni Gymnasium.
The eleven kills were a season-high for Starks, who recorded her seventh double-digit kill match. Madisyn Moore and Rachelle Santos followed with six each. Moore also contributed a solo block and two block assists. Wiley was out-hit .195 to .030 and outscored 33 to 32 in kills. Lynnetra Taylor and Maria Luiza Chaves shared setting duties, recording 12 and nine assists, respectively. T'aja Hardy led the team with 14 digs.
The Lady Wildcats (0-7, 0-4) were out-hit .195 to .030 and outscored 33-32 in kills. They could not match the Lady Knights in the first set, allowing 11 kills while only mustering six. Three attacking and two receiving errors put Wiley behind by five. It would trail by as many as 12 as SUNO took the set by eight.
In the second set, Wiley trailed by as many as five. Two kills by Moore and one by Starks cut the margin to two. Trailing 23-18, it took advantage of three attacking errors and a service error to cut the margin to one. An ace by Taylor and a kill by Moore put the Lady Wildcats in position to tie the match. They allowed three kills to give the Lady Knights a two-set lead.
Trailing 11-6 in the third set, Johna Davis sparked a rally with a kill. Two kills by Moore and one from Starks tied the set. Wiley took a two-point lead on a kill by Starks and an attacking error by SUNO. A receiving and two attacking errors allowed SUNO to take a two-point advantage. Davis tied the set at 19 with a kill. Three attacking mistakes led to four unanswered points for the Lady Knights.
Wiley will head to its first pod on Friday at Fisk University. Along with the host Bulldogs, it will face Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference newcomer Wilberforce University on Friday and Rust College on Saturday.
For more coverage on the Lady Wildcats visit Women's Volleyball Home - Wiley University (wileyathletics.com)
About Wiley University Athletics
Wiley University sponsors 12 varsity sports, women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field and baseball. It competes in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) and the Continental Athletic Conference for men's and women's soccer.
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