Hanceville, Ala. —Walters State didn't drop a set Friday as they bested host Wallace State in their first game of the Wallace State Invitation volleyball tournament, winning 3-0 (25-11, 25-16, 25-17). They did the same in the nightcap, besting the Mississippi University for Women 3-0, (25-15, 25-18, 25-18).
The Lady Senators (16-5) have won their last six games and swept five of their last six opponents. They've dropped just one frame during that stretch, a tight 25-22 game against NJCAA Region 7 rival Cleveland State.
In the opener against the Lions, Walters State came out of the gate strong, dominating the first match to a 14-point victory and registering a 28 kill percentage with just two errors in the game. The Lady Senators were even better in game two, notching a 31.1 percentage as they cruised to the 25-16 win. The last frame saw the kill percentage dip to 17.5 percent, but the score was just as lopsided, 25-17.
Sophomore Courtney Dotson (Greeneville, Tenn.) led the team in kills with 12. She added six service aces and six digs. Freshman Olivia Oxendine (Pensacola, Fla.) registered 11 kills and a block. Freshman Jania Hill (Morristown, Tenn.) had five kills and freshman Alaysia McGhee (Knoxville, Tenn.) tallied four.
Freshman Amanda Singleton (Knoxville, Tenn.) recorded 16 assists and freshman Taylor Tigue (Franklin, Tenn.) had nine. Sophomore Alexis Wakefield (Portland, Tenn.) posted 20 digs with Singleton pitching in 10.
Game two against the Owls saw WSCC get off to a slower start in the front court, registering a 13.2 kill percentage in the first frame, but they powered through in the next two games, posting a 28.2 in the second game and a 22.7 in the third.
This time it was Oxendine who did the damage at the net, posting 17 kills to go with two blocks. Hill finished with seven kills and a block, McGhee had six kills and three blocks and Dotson and freshman Hannah Daniel (Bristol, Tenn.) posted five kills apiece.
Singleton again led the team in assists with 21, with Tigue posting 15. Wakefield shoveled up 28 digs and Dotson put up 10 of her own.
The Lady Senators will be back in action Saturday at the Wallace State Invitational, facing off against Catawba Valley at 11 a.m. and an opponent to be announced.