Alaya Rhodes led Bethune-Cookman with 10 kills and 20 digs as Bethune-Cookman defeated South Carolina State 3-1 in the opening match of the series Friday at Dukes Gymnasium in Orangeburg, S.C. Bethune-Cookman won 25-10, 25-20, 20-25, 26-24 to improve to 4-6, while South Carolina State fell to 3-10.
Bethune-Cookman opened both the first and fourth sets with 12-0 runs and recovered after South Carolina State took the third set. The Wildcats also overcame a 24-23 deficit in the fourth set by scoring the final three points.
Bethune-Cookman controls the opening sets
Bethune-Cookman established control immediately with a 12-0 opening run in the first set. Laura Lino dos Santos sparked the stretch with her serving and an ace, while Rhodes added two kills during the early surge.
The Wildcats extended their lead to 18-4 after a kill by Leila Hargrove. South Carolina State answered with four consecutive points, but Bethune-Cookman regained control and closed the set 25-10.
South Carolina State opened the second set with a 5-2 advantage before Bethune-Cookman rallied. The Wildcats tied the set at 16-16 after another service ace from Lino dos Santos and then completed a 5-0 run to take the lead.
Bethune-Cookman scored 16 of the final 22 points in the set and took a 2-0 match lead when South Carolina State committed a setting error. The Wildcats finished the second set 25-20.
South Carolina State extends the match
South Carolina State responded after Bethune-Cookman took an early 6-1 lead in the third set. The Bulldogs pulled even at 9-9, moved ahead 15-12 and carried a 17-14 advantage into the later stages.
Rhodes and Hargrove recorded kills as Bethune-Cookman narrowed the deficit to 20-18. South Carolina State then scored five of the final seven points to win the set 25-20 and force a fourth set.
Bethune-Cookman again opened strongly in the fourth set, building a 12-0 lead. Nola Hemphill served through the opening run, which included kills by Rhodes and Kaleigh Williams along with South Carolina State attack errors.
South Carolina State erased the deficit with a 12-2 run and tied the set at 12-12. The Bulldogs later moved ahead 21-18, but Bethune-Cookman answered with four consecutive points to tie the score at 22-22.
Williams contributed a kill and a service ace during the rally, while Sienna Lawrence added a kill. South Carolina State regained the lead at 23-22 and later went ahead 24-23, but Bethune-Cookman scored the final three points to clinch the match, including a kill and a service ace by Rhodes.
Rhodes leads Bethune-Cookman effort
Rhodes led Bethune-Cookman with 10 kills and 20 digs. Williams added seven kills, six digs and a .312 hitting percentage, while Talibah Hamlett recorded five kills on nine attacks without an error and hit .556.
Hamlett also led Bethune-Cookman with three blocks as the Wildcats finished with 9.0 total team blocks. Bethune-Cookman recorded 40 kills on 135 attacks and hit .156 as a team.
Hemphill led Bethune-Cookman with 15 assists and added 11 digs. South Carolina State recorded 41 kills and 11.0 team blocks while hitting .025, with Carra Pierre-Louis leading the Bulldogs with 12 kills and eight digs and Arianna James recording 20 assists.
Second match scheduled for Sept. 19
Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State are scheduled to meet again at 1 p.m. Sept. 19 for the second match of the series. The match will follow Bethune-Cookman’s four-set victory at Dukes Gymnasium.
Bethune-Cookman will enter the second match after opening the series with two 12-0 runs and a fourth-set comeback. South Carolina State will look to respond after dropping the third and fourth sets.
FSB Take
Bethune-Cookman’s opening-match victory was shaped by its starts and its finish. The Wildcats built early separation in the first two sets, answered South Carolina State’s third-set win and overcame a 24-23 fourth-set deficit by scoring the final three points.
Rhodes led the individual effort with 10 kills and 20 digs, while Williams, Hamlett and Hemphill added production in attack, blocking and assists. The second match will give Bethune-Cookman another opportunity against South Carolina State after the Wildcats took the series opener.
Source: Original report