ATLANTA – The Jackson State volleyball team opened its 2018 season at the SWAC/MEAC Challenge this weekend.

Jackson State Defeats South Carolina 3-1: 23-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-14
After dropping the first set by a narrow 25-23 margin, the JSU volleyball team roared back to defeat South Carolina State in four sets.

Marina Bianchi-Brito led the way with 14 kills including a sizzling .706 hitting percentage. Alexandria Burney added 11 kills to go along with eight digs.

Tielar Richards chipped in with 10 kills and finished with a .348 hitting percentage. Sapphire Simpson added 32 assists and 15 digs, while Kinley Carter helped with 14 assists and eight digs.

As a team,  JSU hit .286, while SCSU was held to .107 as a unit.

Gardner-Webb Defeats Jackson State 3-2: 25-16, 21-25, 22-25, 19-25, 15-11
JSU and Gardner-Webb went the distance in a five-set thriller.

Richards finished with a match-high 15 kills and added a pair of digs. Burney added 11 kills to go with 13 digs and six blocks.

Camry Dabney helped with nine kills and three digs, while Madison Wolf chipped in with seven kills and four digs.

North Carolina A&T Defeats Jackson State 3-1: 25-20, 25-18, 18-25, 25-14
Dabney finished with a match-high 12 kills and a .292 hitting percentage. Simpson added 26 assists to go with four kills and two blocks.

Richards contributed eight kills and a pair of blocks. Burney added seven kills and 13 digs.

North Carolina Central Defeats Jackson State 3-2: 16-25, 25-11, 25-19, 20-25, 5-13
JSU and North Carolina Central went back-and-forth in a five-set affair to close out the SWAC/MEAC Challenge.

Richards finished with a match-high 20 kills to go with eight digs. Burney added 13 kills and a team-high 18 digs. Dabney contributed with 10 kills and five digs.

Simpson added a match-high 30 assists and chipped in nine digs.