Miami, Fla. (Sept. 6, 2024)- The Virginia State University Volleyball team started their season with a 3-1 loss to Auburn University Montgomery and then a sweep, 3-0 of Edward Waters. 

Game 1 VSU 1 AUM 3 

• In set 1 the Warhawks scored the first four points, two from Trojan attack errors, a service ace and a kill forcing an early VSU timeout to regroup 

• Gracie Darville recorded the first two kills of the season for Virginia State getting the score to 6-3 

• VSU managed to make it a one score game, 7-6, but then AUM would score the next four points 

• The Warhawks always seemed to keep a four- or five-point advantage in the first set until a Trojan error made it a 16-10 game 

• The Trojans benefited from AUM errors, some timely kills from Helena Eubanks and Darville, and big blocks by Morgan Green and Anya McKinley to get the score within one, 22-21 

• AUM got to set point at 24-23 and a huge kill gave them the first set putting them up 1-0 

• The second set saw VSU jump out to an early 4-0 lead with three different players registering kills, Eubanks, Green and McKinley. 

• Virginia State would be the first to double digits as Darville registered a kill that landed just inside the court of play making it 10-4 

• The Trojans grew their advantage to double digits after a ball handling error and another Kill by Eubanks making it 18-8. 

• VSU managed to get to set point at 24-12, and an AUM serving error tied the match back at 1 apiece  

• The third set was more tightly contested with VSU being up 8-7 before calling a timeout 

• The teams continued to play back and forth with neither team having a huge advantage as VSU lead 20-17 

• AUM managed to tie the game at 21 thanks to two kills and a VSU attacking error 

• The Warhawks won the third set after a service ace and an attacking error, 25-23 

• Auburn Montgomery opened the fourth set on a 9-4 run. The Warhawks managed to get to the 15-point mark first being up 15-10 

• VSU was down 21-12 and then then went on and scored the next five points with De'Mya Robinson getting two blocks however AUM won the fourth set 25-17 

• Darville led the team with 12 kills, followed by Eubanks with nine and then McKinley with eight. Peyton Reese had a game high 23 assists 

GAME 2 VSU 3 EWU 0 

• The Trojans were the first team to get to 10 points after a Eubanks kill making it 10-6 

• The score would stay at a five- or four-point advantage for Virginia State until they went on a five-point run making the score 17-9 

• The Tigers managed to make it an 18-14 game, but the Trojans expanded their lead to 22-16 after a Green service ace 

• After back-to-back kills by Robinson and Eubanks won the first set for VSU 25-18 

• Edward Waters scored six of the first seven points to start the second set 

• VSU managed to come back and tie the game at 10 after a kill by Robinson and a service ace by Leila Jackson. Those two points sparked a 7-1 run letting the Trojans lead, 16-11 

• The teams went back and forth after that with VSU having a 21-15 advantage before a kill by Amaya Cooper, an attack error by EWU and a kill from Reese made it set point, 24-16 

• Back-to-back service errors, one for each team, gave the Trojans the set win 25-17 

• The third set was also tightly contested as the Tigers held a 9-5 led early after a quick 4-1 run 

• The Trojans managed to make it a one-point game, 10-9, after a block assist by Robinson and Reese 

• Three points later VSU would get its first lead in the set after a solo block by Resse made it 12-11 

• However, the Tigers would then score the next five points to retake the lead 16-12, the Trojans would score eight of the next 11 points to retake the lead 20-19 

• With Denver Watkins serving VSU scored the last seven points of the match to give VSU the win 25-19 

• Both Resse (17) and Jackson (12) finished with double digit assists while Darville and Reese both had eight kills 

The Trojans will return tomorrow to play the host Barry at 12 p.m.