OMAHA, Nebraska – The Jackson State Lady Tigers take on Western Kentucky in today's first round matchup in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament in Omaha, Nebraska.
The undefeated Lady Tigers are coming off of a SWAC Championship after finishing the season a perfect 11-0. They take on WKU who enters Wednesday night's contest undefeated at 21-0 on the season.
NCAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, April 14 – First Round
No. 18 WKU vs. Jackson State – 9:30 p.m. CT
Stream: ESPN3 (Sam Gore play-by-play) -
WATCH
Livestats:
https://www.ncaa.com/game/5822785
LAST TIME OUT
The last time out for the Lady Tigers was back on March 27 in a 3-1 win over Southern that pushed JSU to an overall 11-0 record on the season. After falling in set one one 27-25, the Lady Tigers cruised to three straight wins, winning set two 25-20, set three 25-16, and the fourth and final set by a score of 25-22. Jackson State was led by
Jordan Jones in the contest with 12 total kills to help JSU advance to the championship.
Marina Bianchi Brito had 10 kills, seven digs and two blocks while
Jylen Whitten an
Camry Dabney had eight kills and nine digs for the day. Freshman of the Year
Alexis Williams collected e10 kills and nine digs, including the last three kills to help lift JSU to tomorrow's Championship.
Alana Washington had a team best 14 digs while
Damassy Thompson and
DeKyra Dennis had solid outings with 24 and 18 assists. Jackson State improved to a perfect 11-0 on the season with the win and will take on No. 3 Arkansas-Pine Bluff tomorrow at 3 p.m.
LADY TIGERS RECEIVE POSTSEASON RECOGNITION
The Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its Spring 2021 All-SWAC Volleyball teams and individual award winners on March 25 with JSU receiving several honors. The all-conference honors were voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors.
Alexis Williams was tabbed the Freshman of the Year and to the 1st Team All-SWAC as she rounded out the list of SWAC Volleyball individual award winners. Five Lady Tigers were named to the All-SWAC team's with Williams earning a spot along with
Jylen Whitten, and
Damassy Thompson.
Jordan Jones and
Marina Bianchi Brito were named to the Second All-SWAC team.
Freshman of the Year
Williams was tabbed for SWAC Player of the Week honors three times this season including being named Newcomer of the Week twice. She ranks seventh in the SWAC in hitting percentage (.256), second in the kills (100), first in services aces per set (0.60), and first in points per set with 122 (4.4). She produced a season best 20 kills in a four-set win over UAPB. She also had 19 kills in a four-set win against Grambling State and had a match best 18 digs in a win at Grambling State.
SCOUTING WESTERN KENTUCKY
Courtesy of WKU Communications
- WKU and Jackson State are set to meet for the first time in program history.
- The Hilltoppers' 21-0 start is a new best for the best undefeated start in program history. An 8-0 reading was previously the top undefeated mark and had been achieved by three prior WKU squads.
- WKU has dropped just four sets all season winning 63 of 67 total sets played this season. WKU's second match against Marshall was the first time all season the Tops trailed in a match after the Herd claimed the opening frame to end WKU's 25-consecutive sets won streak. West Virginia would also take the opening frame off the Tops before Hudson's crew rattled off the next three sets to secure the victory.
- Since joining Conference USA prior to the 2014 campaign, WKU has won at least a share of the regular-season championship in six of seven seasons. From 2014-17, WKU earned four-straight automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament – the first time in program history.
- Nadia Dieudonne was recently narrowed down from one of 30 candidates to one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. She is the only Power 5 player to make the cut. The honor is awarded to student-athletes who have notable achievements in four different areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
- WKU Volleyball will be wearing "AC" patches on all of its jerseys this season to honor the life of Hilltopper legend Alyssa Cavanaugh who passed away on December 25, 2020. Cavanaugh is the most-decorated player in program history.
- In Conference USA's first season utilizing divisions, WKU was predicted to win the East Division by the league's coaches. WKU's counterpart from the West was Rice – a program that the Hilltoppers have no shortage of high-level battles against. Both squads would go 12-0 and win their respective division.
- WKU Volleyball jumped a spot to the No. 18 ranking in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll (AVCA) – the Tops' best ranking since the program's best mark at No. 16 in 2013.
- WKU is 4-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. All 13 appearances have come under Travis Hudson.
