Daylin Saiki surpassed 500 assists for the season Friday, but Alcorn State lost to Alabama State in straight sets in a Southwestern Athletic Conference match in Montgomery. The Hornets won 25-18, 25-14, 25-19.
Saiki finished with 23 assists, three service aces and five digs. She is the first Lady Brave to reach 500 assists in a season since Jasmine Chambers recorded 543 in 2019.
Alcorn (5-20, 5-10 SWAC) kept the opening set close, with nine ties and five lead changes. The Lady Braves took a 14-12 lead after scoring four consecutive points, but Alabama State answered with nine straight points to go ahead 21-14 and went on to win the set.
The Lady Braves opened the second set with three points in a row, including a block by Bailey Upshaw and Courtney Carter. Alabama State responded, took its first lead at 5-4 and built a 15-7 advantage. Carter recorded seven kills in the match, along with three digs and a service ace.
Alcorn trailed 14-7 in the third set before putting together a four-point run, fueled by a Carter kill and two consecutive service aces from Kasey Watkins. Rylan Jones added a kill as the Lady Braves cut the deficit to 15-12. Jones led Alcorn with nine kills. The team also fought off two match points before Alabama State closed out the set.
Watkins had three aces and four digs. Tomoni Giddings and Alexis Burton each recorded five digs, and Upshaw had two block assists. Alabama State (9-19, 7-8) was led by Kaylen Hines, who had 12 kills and hit .706. Alexis Williams and Amaya Robinson each added 11 kills.
Alcorn is scheduled to conclude its 2026 regular season Sunday, Nov. 15, at Alabama A&M in Huntsville, Alabama. The calendar listed first serve for 11 a.m. Central time.
