GRAMBLING, La. | Kevreion Ward finished with a match-high 22 kills, but it wasn't enough as the Grambling State University volleyball team had its Senior Day spoiled on Sunday night as Southern defeated the Lady Tigers, 3-2, in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) match at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
 
The Lady Jaguars (8-17 overall, 7-9 SWAC) took the opening set, 25-22, but the Lady Tigers (15-21, 8-8) answered with a 25-23 second-set win to tie the match at 1. Southern took the third set, 25-18, but against Grambling State answered and took the fourth set, 25-22. In the fifth and final set, the Lady Jaguars raced out to 11-6 lead and didn't look back with a 15-6 victory.
 
Ward led all players with 22 kills and seven digs. Tess Reynolds and Chasity Nicks each recorded 10 kills, while Nicks added 10 digs for the double-double. Diemend Richardson tallied 25 assists, while L'Muriell Thrower chipped in with 21. Defensively, Erineka Mollere registered 23 digs.
 
Shelby Jolly paced the Southern offense with 16 kills, while Vaterra Calais and Princess Stark recorded 22 and 16 assists, respectively. Bailey Jefferson registered a match-high 25 digs and Mariah Clayton added 13 digs.
 
Inside the Numbers
· Grambling State finished the match with 53 kills, 54 digs, 49 assists, six service aces and six total team blocks.
· Southern tailed 51 kills, 58 digs, 46 assists, 14.0 total team blocks and eight service aces.
· Grambling State hit .323 during the second-set victory with 15 kills on 31 attempts and just five errors.
· Southern hit .400 during the fifth set with seven kills on 15 attempts and one error.
· There were 26 ties, including 12 in the fourth set, and 12 lead changes, with seven coming in the fourth set.
 
News & Notes
· Grambling State will have one more opportunity to avenge the loss to Southern when the Lady Tigers visit Baton Rouge, La., on Nov. 11.
· GSU has two matches remaining in the regular season (home vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff and at Southern).
 
Up Next
Grambling State closes out its home campaign on Thursday when Arkansas-Pine Bluff comes to town for a 6 p.m. SWAC match at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
 
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