The Alabama State women’s volleyball team tightened their grip as the SWAC East Division’s top team by picking up another conference victory sweeping Alcorn State 3-0 (25-11, 25-16, 25-16) at Lockhart Gymnasium on Friday night.
The Lady Hornets upped their overall record to 13-17, but most importantly stay undefeated with a 7-0 record in the SWAC. ASU has now won 15 consecutive regular season conference games and hasn’t lost one since Nov. 10, 2012.
Alabama State put forth its most complete win of the season in terms of a team hitting percentage. The Lady Hornets swung for a season-high .434, notched eight aces and enjoyed a plus 24 assist differential.
Junior Tiara Kelley led the team with 10 kills on a season-best .625 hitting percentage to go with two blocks. Amber Bennett was on point as well, hitting eight kills on a .667 for her second-most efficient percentage of the season. Bennett’s season high came on Sept. 9 against Troy when she tallied seven kills on a .875.
Entering the match, Chelsey Scott needed six kills to reach the 600-kill plateau. The junior outside hitter picked up nine in the match to give her 603 kills in her career. Scott now has at least nine kills in five of the previous six games.
And, the 6-2 formation was in full force as the setting duties were nearly split evenly once again as Brooke Beasley led with 17 assists and Ellyn Jones added 15 assists.
Lurlethia Jones had five kills and Heather Jackson added four kills to lead the Lady Braves (8-18 overall, 2-6 SWAC).
The game was never in doubt for ASU.
After being tied at three in the first set, ASU was able to open a comfortable lead by taking 12 of the next 13 points highlighted by a Myla Marshall kill and ace, three kills by Bennett and a pair of aces by Beasley. Two additional kills late in the set by Marshall and another by Bennett closed out the set.
In the second set, the Lady Braves took an early 9-5 lead sparked by Jones and Jackson. ASU regrouped with kills by Scott and Kelley and eventually took a 10-9 lead on another Kelley throw down.
Jones set up Briana Dorsey and Rachel Smith for back-to-back points. Two more kills apiece by Scott and Smith pushed the Lady Hornets down the stretch to close out the set 25-16.
In the third set, ASU took a 16-9 lead on a beautiful spike by Marshall who rose up for a quick point off a feed from Beasley.
Alcorn got within 20-16, but the Lady Hornets took the last five points on a Lady Braves service error, a Scott kill, two kills by Kelley and an ace from Beasley.
Alabama State will host its final home game of the season Saturday at 1 p.m. against Mississippi Valley State for Senior Day from Lockhart Gym in a SWAC contest.
Seniors Beasley, Jones, Erika Thompson, Gaga Cvoric and Shan Jones will be honored in a special pre-game tribute.

Alabama State University is gearing up for its best Turkey Day Classic (TDC) and Homecoming ever as it celebrates its 91st annual event beginning this Friday (Nov. 14), which makes it the oldest Historically Black College or University (HBCU) classic football game in America!
The theme of this year’s TDC is “Something Old. Something New. Forever ASU!” This year’s Turkey Day Classic will be the first year that the game will not be played on Thanksgiving Day, and the second year that it has been played against the Stillman Tigers.
From 1924 through 2012, the Alabama State University Hornets played the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers in the TDC football game. In 2013, the TDC marked the first year that the Hornets played against the Stillman College Tigers.
Traditionally held on Thanksgiving, beginning this year, the Hornet Nation marks a new tradition with its TDC/Homecoming festivities occurring a week before Thanksgiving with the Turkey Day Classic game being played on Nov. 22 (the Saturday before Thanksgiving) at the New ASU Stadium. This allows the ASU football team to have more flexibility to play in the SWAC championship, as well as to be eligible for FCS post-season play.

Thursday, Nov. 20
•    Live Jazz Concert at the Montgomery Regional Airport starting at 11 a.m. by WVAS 90.7 NPR Radio as ASU family and friends
arrive for the TDC.
•    Homecoming Step Show at 8 p.m. at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome, which is a ticketed event.

Friday, Nov. 21
•    Alumni Scholarship Brunch at 10 a.m. at the J Garrick Hardy Student Center Ballroom, which honors alumni. A ticketed event.
•    Homecoming Concert at 8 p.m. at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome that features a well-known national recording artist, which is a ticketed
event.

Saturday, Nov. 22
•    At 9 a.m., the 91st TDC Parade in downtown Montgomery begins in front of the Alabama State Capitol and winds down Dexter
Avenue.
•    At 11 a.m., the Homecoming Tailgating Party is in full swing on the ASU Intramural Field, sponsored by Bama State Radio & 97.9
Jamz.
•    At 1 p.m., it’s kickoff time for the 91st Annual Turkey Day Classic Football Game between the Stillman Tigers & the ASU
Hornets/gates open @ 11a.m.

Sunday, Nov. 23
•    At 11 a.m., ASU holds an ecumenical service to thank God for all the blessings bestowed upon us – Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
•    At 2 p.m., the ASU Mighty Marching Hornets Band presents the TDC Battle of the Bands at the New ASU Stadium – a ticketed
event.

Please join us as we prepare to celebrate that “Ole ‘Bama State Spirit” together as one Hornet Nation at the 91st Turkey Day Classic!
To purchase tickets, visit www.ticketreturn.com or call 334-229-4577. For the Alabama State TDC & Homecoming schedule, visit www.alasu.edu/hornethomecoming

MONTGOMERY – The Alabama State men’s basketball team had five players reach double-digit scoring as ASU started the season with a 105-64 win over Auburn Montgomery.
DeMarcus Robinson led the way with 23 points and Brandon Graham added 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Other double digit scorers were Bobby Brown (14) and Maurice Strong (12).  Freshman and Montgomery native Steve Rogers had 13 points in his ASU debut knocking down three field goals, two 3s, and hitting all five of his free throws.
“I thought we came out very aggressive to begin the game both offensively and defensively,” Head Coach Lewis Jackson said.  “We were able to get out and push the ball hard.  Jamel was doing a good job of finding guys, and actually they were doing a good job of finding each other.”
“We got off to a good start. We rebounded the first missed shot and we were able to get out and run and it was just good to play against another opponent. We have been going for a while and this is our first time of seeing someone else.”
The Hornets (1-0) shot 52 percent from the field (38-73).  ASU finished the game hitting 10 three point field goals (44%) as Graham finished with four.
Jamel Waters only shot the ball six times, but hit four of those for eight points. He also had a game-high seven assists and two steals.
“At times we did a pretty good job of getting the ball up and down the court,” Jackson said. “We tried to get the ball out of the net when they scored or get the rebound off the glass and get it out quick.  The guys were really running the lanes hard tonight and it was good to see the guys trying to put into action the things we had been working on in practice.”
The crowd was ready to see ASU’s new big men in action and both wound up playing at the same time for a good amount of time.  Wendell Lewis scored seven points and had seven rebounds in 25 minutes of action and Robert Ojeah got in eight minutes and added four points and a steal.
AUM’s Jeremy Newton led the Warhawks with 22 points and Rodrick Robinson had 11. AUM shot 38 percent from the field and hit 33 percent of their three point attempts.
ASU won the rebounding battle 52-29 while also forcing 15 turnovers.  ASU had eight steals and three blocked shots.
“I thought we did a pretty decent job of covering guys, but we had some letdowns,” Jackson said.  “Those are the things we have to go back and correct.  Overall I thought we did a good job of hustling and trying to get to the glass and to get some offensive rebounds.  But we have a lot of stuff we have to work on, but again overall I thought it was a good team effort.”
ASU bolted out to a 53-33 halftime lead behind 53 percent shooting from the field and that includes hitting six of their 12 three point field goals.  Robinson led the way with 15 first-half points while Strong added 12.

MONTGOMERY – The Alabama State baseball team has signed six players to national letters of intents during the early signing period:
Austin Bizzle    
Position: RHP
Ht.: 5-11, Wt. 180
Hometown/ HS: Lynn Haven, Fla./Gulf Coast Comm. College
 Carlos Gonzalez
Position: LHP
Ht.: 6-1, Wt.: 201
Hometown/HS: Guardo, P.R./Puerto Rico Baseball Acad.& HS
 Terrell McCall
Position: RHP/OF
Ht.: 5-11
Wt.: 185
Hometown/HS: Lithonia, Ga. /Stephenson High
Michael Rivera
Position: RHP
Ht.: 6-3
Wt.: 225
Hometown/ HS: Trujilio Alto, Puerto/International Baseball Acad.
Jon Roblez
Position: RHP
Ht.: 6-3
Wt.: 215
Hometown/ HS: Roeland Park, Kan. /Johnson City Comm. College
Eriq White
Position: MIF/OF
Ht: 5-10
Wt.:170
Hometown/HS: Snellville, Ga. / Shiloh High
Head Coach Mervyl Melendez on Bizzle: “Austin will be counted on as a starter and reliever. He has a rubber arm and unique motion that makes the ball hard to pick up on his release. He’s going to have the experience coming from junior college, and if he comes out of the bullpen, he’s going to pitch a lot of games for us.”

Melendez on Gonzalez: “Carlos is a much-needed left handed arm for our program. As anyone in baseball will say, you need left-handed pitchers, not only as starters but as relievers. He has a very good arm, and has the potential to be very good. He throws three pitches for strikes, and is still learning how to pitch. He’s a guy that is going to blossom, going from mid 80s to the low 90s. We’re looking forward to him continuing to improve.”
Melendez on McCall: “Terrell is an athlete that we love both on the mound and in the outfield. As a position player, he’s got speed and will be able to track balls down in the outfield. When you have speed, you get on base, you create havoc. As a pitcher, he has a good arm, throws three pitches for strikes, and has the potential to be a top pitcher in a short period of time. He has the potential to get a lot of innings as a freshman.”
Melendez on Rivera: “Michael is a big guy whom we believe is going to turn into a weekend pitcher for us. He has the ability to be a power pitcher. He throws in the low 90s, and as a freshman, he’s going to have a chance to get into the starting rotation. He will be utilized a lot, probably as a starter but also as a closer. He throws a lot of strikes.”
Melendez on Roblez: “Jon is a power pitcher that we hope will turn into a weekend guy for us right away. He has the experience from junior college, as well as at Kansas State his first year of college. He’s going to be counted on to be workhorse for us. By being at a Division I school and a junior college, the experience he’s gained from that will help us once he gets into the Black and Gold.”
Melendez on White: “Eric is a player we’ve recruited as both a middle infielder and an outfielder. He’s very versatile and a very good athlete, but also a very good hitter. We had an early commitment from him early last year, and he’s continued to get better and improved his game. His strength is offensively; he steals bases, very aggressive base runner, and is a very aggressive hitter.”

ASU Baseball Adds Amion as Signee
MONTGOMERY – The Alabama State baseball team added one signee on Friday, OF Diondre Amion from Miami Southridge High in Cutler Bay, Fla.
Amion? From Cutler Bay, Florida? Sound familiar? Yes, he’s the younger brother of former Alabama State outfielder Richard, a three-year starter for the Hornets now playing professional baseball with the World Champion San Francisco Giants organization.
“Diondre has all the makings of being a great player like his brother,” ASU head baseball coach Mervyl Melendez said. “He is a left-handed hitter, and will play as a corner outfielder (left or right), rather than center field. We believe he will be a great player at this level, and give us the left-handed hitter we need in the middle of the lineup. We look forward to having Diondre being a part of our baseball family, as his brother had three great years with us before moving on to the professional ranks.”

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Alabama State University cross country team completed their impressive season at the NCAA South Region Championship finishing 21st overall with a score of 560 points. The Lady Hornets had all six runners run personal best times along with two runners finishing in the top 75 overall as there were just about 200 competitors to take part in the 6K race.
Junior Paige Rankine had an amazing day as she placed 49th overall in a personal best time of 20:55.50 over the 6K distance. Junior Artrailia LeSane placed 75th overall to cross the line in a time of 21:16.10 setting her personal record.
Junior Shantia Wilson finished with a time of 22:00.90, which was a personal best time for her. Sophomore Tatiana Etienne paced a personal best time of 22:19.20.
In their first NCAA regional action first year runners Sade Lavaillas placed 169th running a personal best of 22:59.90, and Brandee Ebert rounded the field with a 176th finish crossing the line in a 23:20.70.
“It’s always a good experience when you can come on a stage like this and compete against some of the best runners in the nation,” Head Coach Ritchie Beene said.
Vanderbilt was the overall winner of the region followed by Florida State. ASU will take some time off before they begin their preparations for the Indoor Track and Field season which begins in December.
“I am really proud of the girls, the South Region is very difficult and has some of the best girls coming out of this area. “I’m very impressed with how all they performed, especially Paige Rankine who finished in the top 50 which was an amazing accomplishment for this program “said Beene.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama State University picked up two of the Southwestern Athletic Conference football student-athlete of the week awards after upsetting western division leader Grambling State University Saturday.  The Hornet’s Malcolm Cyrus (Autaugaville, Ala./Autaugaville) and Kourtney Berry (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville) earned offensive and defensive student-athlete of week honors, respectively for the third time each this season.  Alabama A&M University freshman Nick Carden (Huntsville, Ala.) was named specialist of the week.  And Arron Baker (Belle Glades, Fla.) from Alcorn State University earned newcomer of the week.

Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week: Malcolm Cyrus (Alabama State)
 

Cyrus rushed for 180 yards on 27 carries with one touchdown. He also averaged 6.7 yards per carry and caught two passes for an addition 60 yards. Cyrus finished with 240 total yards in the Hornets 37-23 upset of Grambling State.

Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week: Kourtney Berry (Alabama State)
 

Berry finished with a game and career-high 18 tackles, 12 solo, to help the Hornets hand Grambling its first conference loss of the season. He earned 3.5 tackles for a loss, forced two fumbles and recovered one that he ran back for a touchdown.

Specialist of the Week: Nick Carden (Alabama A&M)

Carden punted five times with one landing inside the 20 and one for a touchback. He averaged 49.2 yards per punt. His longest on the day was a 69 yard boot.

Newcomer of the Week: Arron Baker (Alcorn State)

Baker carried the ball eight times for 55 yards and a game-high three touchdowns in the Braves’ 56-6 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.  He averaged 6.9 yards per carry in the win.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the Southwestern Athletic Conference announced that it had selected two more Lady Hornets’ volleyball players for the weekly SWAC Athlete of the Week honors for their play for the week of November 3-9.
Chelsey Scott, a junior from Enterprise, Ala., tied a season-best with 18 kills on a .394 hitting percentage and added a career-high five blocks in a five-set victory against Alabama A&M last Thursday to be named Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week and third time this season.
Scott is averaging 2.30 kills per set and 2.64 points per set, which both rank ninth overall in the SWAC. The 5-foot-10 outside hitter also has 202 kills, which is second most on the team.
Brooke Beasley, a senior from Winfield, Ala., had a season-high 28 assists, six digs and two aces to be named the Co-Setter of the Week. It is the second straight week that Beasley has garnered Setter of the Week honors.
Beasley has 378 assists, which is the second most on the team. The 6-foot setter has recorded three consecutive games with at least 20 assists and has six games this season in which she has reached that plateau.
The Lady Hornets (12-17 overall, 6-0 SWAC) have won eight of its last 10 games and clinched its second straight SWAC East Division crown with its victory against Alabama A&M.
“They’re peaking at the right time,” said Alabama State women’s volleyball coach Penny Lucas-White. “It’s exciting. We need to finish strong this weekend and take care of business.”
ASU will take on SWAC opponents Alcorn State Friday at 7 p.m. and then will finish out the regular season with a game against Mississippi Valley State on Saturday at 1 p.m.