The Alabama State University Hornets (3-12) swept the Mississippi Valley State University Delta Devils (1-8) in a three-set display of dominance on Oct. 3.

         The Hornets entered this match coming off a big nonconference win against the Auburn University Tigers on Sept. 26. The Lady Hornets were a big favorite as the Delta Devils were experiencing a slow start to their season.

During the first set, the Hornets displayed their superiority after jumping out to an early 5-1 lead. Delta Devils head coach Mariah Prince, was forced to call an early timeout. After the timeout, the Hornets remained in the lead for the rest of the set. Junior Alex Ratliff put the Hornets over the top 25-7 after landing a furious kill in Delta Devil territory.

         The second set was a closer contest than the first, as the Delta Devils jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but Alex Ratliff got a kill which sparked a 6-1 Hornets run and forced Mississippi Valley to call a timeout. After the timeout, the Hornets took the lead and never looked back. To finish out the set, sophomore Jada Rhodes and junior Kalysia Bates combined for a kill to give the Hornets a 25-12 win.

         The Hornets jumped out early during the final set, much like the first set to a blazing 13-3 start, which again led the Delta Devils to call a timeout, but the Lady Hornets would not be denied. They defeated the Delta Devils 25-8, which completed the 3-0 sweep. With this win, the Hornets increased to (4-12) overall and (2-0) in SWAC play.

         Alex Ratliff led the team in kills, posting her season-high 12 kills .579 attack percentage as well as recording a dig on the day. Senior McKenzie Boland led the team in digs with 11, which was also her season high. Junior Emersen Belles added 10 digs, four assists and two aces. Junior Kalysia Bates and sophomore Jada Rhodes also added seven kills on the day.

The Hornets will face the 2021 SWAC champion Jackson State Tigers Monday, Oct. 4, at 6 p.m. The game will be held in the Lockhart gymnasium.