Fort Valley State women's volleyball battled through a competitive weekend of conference action at the SIAC Crossover, finishing the tournament 1–2 after three hard-fought matches against Central State, Spring Hill and Miles College.
The Lady Wildcats opened the crossover in impressive fashion, earning a 3–0 sweep over Central State behind a balanced offensive and defensive performance.
Mashayla Collins powered the FVSU attack with a team-high 13 kills, hitting .357 while adding 11 digs and two block assists. Caytlyn Sanford contributed eight kills, while Dakotah Holmes finished with six kills, eight digs and three total blocks.
At the net, Antonia Brewer made her presence felt with four kills and a team-high six total blocks, including two solo blocks. Jalayah Hamby added three kills on six attempts for a .500 hitting percentage along with two total blocks.
Reagan Mann directed the offense with 27 assists while adding five digs, and Naoma Yancey anchored the back row with a team-high 11 digs and two service aces. The Wildcats totaled 37 kills, 44 digs and 16 total block contributions in the victory.
Fort Valley State returned to the court against Spring Hill, where the Lady Wildcats faced a tough challenge and fell 3–0. Holmes led the offensive effort with eight kills, while Sanford added four. Mann recorded 10 assists and nine digs, while Yancey and Kenley Covington contributed six and five digs, respectively.
The Wildcats closed the crossover with one of their toughest battles of the weekend against Miles College. FVSU continued to compete throughout the four-set contest before ultimately falling 3–1.
Holmes delivered her strongest offensive performance of the weekend, finishing with a team-high 14 kills to go along with eight digs. Collins followed closely with 12 kills and 10 digs, giving the Lady Wildcats another strong all-around performance.
Mann helped keep the offense moving with an impressive 33 assists and 17 digs, while Yancey contributed 14 digs and eight assists. Brewer was effective at the net with six kills on 11 attacks for a .364 hitting percentage, while also contributing seven total blocks.
The Lady Wildcats also created pressure from the service line against Miles, recording five aces, including three from Lataya Mitchell.
Fort Valley State leaves the SIAC Crossover with a 1–2 record on the weekend, but the Wildcats showed plenty of fight across three conference matches. Collins and Holmes provided consistent offensive production, Mann continued to facilitate the attack, and Yancey helped lead the defensive effort as FVSU gained valuable experience heading into the next stretch of SIAC play.
The Lady Wildcats will look to build on their strong individual performances and continue pushing forward as conference play progresses.
