Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Lady Marauders earn 3-0 win over Kentucky State; go 1-1 on opening day of season.


FRANKFORT, Kentucky - Experiencing their first on court competition in over 655 days, the Central State Lady Marauders opened the 2021 season with a 3-0 road win over rival Kentucky State followed by a narrow 3-2 defeat to Maryville University on Friday.


"We are excited about today's performance," CSU head coach Ray Lewis says. "We did a good job of responding to pressure situations and were able to maintain consistent play for the majority of the day. We had a big win over KSU which has historically been a program we have not had much success against. KSU's fans made it a great in-game atmosphere and I thought our ladies did an excellent job of execution to close out the match."


In his first game as CSU's head coach, Lewis had his team out to an early 2-0 lead as the Lady Marauders took the first two sets over the Thorobreds, 25-17. After falling behind, 19-13 in the third frame, the Lady Marauders battled back to win 26-24.


"We have a different mindset and a new level of confidence in our ability and talent," says Lewis. "We did a great job of staying positive and battling back. After our final timeout, the ladies really focused and eliminated mistakes. They came together and played really well in the most crucial moments of the match." 


CSU newcomers Ajanae Cressey, Darryn Hughes and Hailey White led a balanced offensive attack in the victory. Cressey led all players with 10 kills. Hughes finished with eight kills, two blocks and three aces. White recorded seven kills and three blocks. Makayla Alia facilitated the Lady Marauder offense with 18 assists to lead all players. Cormaria Cooksey led the team with 13 digs.


"Ajanae, Hailey and Darryn each took turns stepping up when the team needed them. We were missing one of our more consistent offensive players today in Jazmyne (Walker) so to see everyone else step up and play well is encouraging for the future," Lewis says. "One of the biggest areas of improvement on our team has been our passing and setting. Cristina Reyes, Makayla Alia, and Kayla Adams were big for us in this area. With her skill set, we feel like Cristina can be one of the top players at her position in our conference. Makayla and Kayla took turns being effective setting up our offense throughout the day. I was also proud of the way Cormaria Cooksey played. She contributed in all areas and made some big defensive plays for us when we needed it."


The win over Kentucky State marks the first time CSU has beaten the Thorobreds since becoming a full NCAA Div. II institution.


With just 40 minutes between matches, CSU had little time to celebrate as they prepared to face Maryville University in the second match of the KSU Invitational. CSU's momentum from the first match carried over early on with a 25-18 win over Maryville in the opening set. CSU came back from an 18-10 deficit in the second stanza and took a 2-0 lead with a dramatic 26-24 victory.


"I thought we played at a really high level for most of the match against Maryville," Lewis said. "After the first two sets, Maryville did a good job of making adjustments while cutting down on their mistakes to get back into the match. By that point, I think the entire day may have played a factor in our energy and we fell short of closing them out. As a young team, it is an experience we will learn from."


Maryville jumped out to a 12-5 lead and went on to win the third set, 25-17. With the score knotted 10-10 in the fourth frame, Maryville scored eight straight points and went on to win 25-16 to force the deciding set. The fifth set began with three straight Maryville service aces. Maryville committed just one attacking error in the final set on the way to a 15-8 win.


Despite the loss to Maryville, Cressey led all players with 15 kills. Adams finished with a team-high 23 assists. Reyes led all players with 20 digs to go along with five service aces.



"We obviously would have liked to have won both matches but today was an excellent experience. I am really happy with the progression and overall improvement of each player up to this point," says Lewis. "Saturday is another opportunity for us to work on perfecting our system and building our chemistry."



Central State will conclude the KSU Invitational on Saturday against West Virginia State University at 2 pm.