Lady Marauders go 3-2 at SIAC West Division Round-Up

 
JACKSON, Tennessee – The Central State Lady Marauders went 3-2 overall with wins over Miles, Lane and Tuskegee over the weekend.

 
CSU handled Miles, 3-0, in their first match with scores of 25-17, 25-12 and 25-6.

 
CSU's third set win over MC was the largest margin of victory this season. CSU combined for 37 kills and 9 errors for a season best .354 hitting percentage. Deja Clark led all players in the match with 15 kills and a career-best .609 hitting percentage.


In a back-and-forth match against Lane, CSU edged the Dragons in five sets, 3-2.

 
Dropping the first set 25-16, CSU responded with 25-14 win in the second. Lane reclaimed momentum with a 25-18 third set victory. With the score tied 19-19 in the fourth frame, kills by Clark and Akaila Howard lifted CSU to a 25-21 win as the teams headed to the deciding set. CSU jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the final set and never looked back on their way to a 15-7 win. Clark led CSU again with 20 kills and 21 digs.

 
The Lady Marauders lost their next two matches to LeMoyne-Owen (3-2) and Spring Hill (3-0) while team leader Deja Clark went out due to an upper body injury.

 
Leading 18-11 in the first set of the final match against Tuskegee, CSU suddenly found themselves tied up 20-20 after giving up an 9-2 run to TU. Tuskegee eventually took the lead 24-23. A kill by CSU's Jade Simmons and two attacking errors by TU's Syncere Ellis allowed the Lady Marauders to escape the first set with a 26-24 win.
TU took the second set with a comfortable 25-18 win. CSU took advantage of five early TU errors to jump out to an 8-2 lead in the third. CSU led by as many as 10 points and took a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-15 victory.

 
With the score tied 16-16 midway through the fourth set, TU gradually pulled away as three straight service aces by Kiah VanHoose gave the Tigers a 23-17 cushion. TU eventually forced a deciding set with a 25-20 win in the fourth.

 
A service ace by Adaiah Johnson, two kills by Diamond Lester and five TU errors gave CSU an 8-0 lead to open the fifth set. TU fought back with a 11-4 run to cut the CSU lead down to one point. After a timeout by CSU head coach Christina Coleman, CSU regained its focus. Jade Simmons and Akaila Howard blocked an attack by Ellis and Desiree Howard served the Lady Marauders to a 15-11 win to seal the match. Lester led CSU with a season-high 14 kills while Adaiah Johnson distributed 24 assists.

 
With the 3-2 road trip, CSU improves to 10-15 overall and a 9-7 record in SIAC play. With two conference matches remaining, CSU currently in position to qualify for next month's SIAC Tournament. The top four teams from the East and West Divisions will qualify.

 
CSU hosts rival Kentucky State this Wednesday at 7 pm.
 
 

Notes:
 
With this weekend's results, CSU's 10 match victories are the most wins by the program since 1994.
 
CSU has secured a SIAC record of .500 or better for the first time in the program's history.
 
Clark has had three matches of 20 or more kills this season. She is currently third in the conference in kills, third in service aces and sixth in blocks.
 
The Lady Marauders are currently jockeying with Lane and LeMoyne-Owen for the third and fourth place spots in the SIAC West. For the complete conference standings, visit - http://thesiac.com/standings.aspx?standings=106
 
This weekend's SIAC West Division Round-Up was played on the campus of Lane College.