JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Fort Valley State and Central State are the two lone teams left standing after the opening and semifinal rounds of the 2024 Cricket SIAC Men’s Volleyball Championship Tournament.
The tournament kicked off Thursday afternoon, featuring teams from
Benedict College,
Central State University,
Edward Waters University,
Fort Valley State University,
Kentucky State University and
Morehouse College in the Edward Waters’ Adams-Jenkins Complex.
OPENING ROUND
Match 1: Kentucky State 3, Benedict 0
No. 4 Kentucky State made a strong statement in the opening round, sweeping No. 5 Benedict in a 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-17) victory.
After a Tigers' error, the Thorobreds’ maintained their lead through the first set, closing at a narrow margin of 25-21.
Jordan Howard and
Malachi Allen led the Thorobreds’ play, combining for 24 of the team’s 43 match kills.
Kevin McGhee contributed significantly with a game season-high 35 assists, overshadowing the 20 overall assists recorded by the Tigers.
Benedict’s
Jaiden Romes-Crawley recorded a double-double with 17 assists and a team-high 14 digs, while
Jomari Jacobs and
Zion Beckford recorded six kills, respectively.
The Thorobreds advanced to the semifinals to face top-seed Fort Valley State.
Match 2: Central State 3, Morehouse 0
The No. 3 Marauders swept the No. 6 Maroon Tigers, 3-0 (25-8, 25-13, 25-10) during the tournament’s opening round.
Tyrone Sands led the way for Central State with 10 kills and three aces.
Alain Tamo-Noche contributed to the Marauder’s victory with eight kills, one service ace and three digs across sets.
Junior right-side hitter, Benjamin Attles led the Maroon Tigers’ play, recording six kills, six set assists, one ace and three digs, totaling seven points.
The Marauders advanced to the semifinals to take on No. 2 Edward Waters.
SEMIFINAL ROUND
Match 3: Kentucky State 0, Fort Valley State 3
Top-seeded Fort Valley State eliminated Kentucky State in straight sets (25-13, 25-11,25-13) in the tournament’s first semifinal match.
Fort Valley State took an early 4-2 lead in the opening set before going on a 9-0 run, bolstering a 13-2 advantage before taking a 25-13 final.
Tied at 5-5 in the second set,
Saferino Dour recorded a pair of kills. Dour and
Jaequon Henderson would then take charge at the net with a block for an 8-0 surge.
In the final set, Fort Valley State held a 15-14 lead on the Thorobreds, before recording 10 of the final 11 tallies for a final 25-15 score.
During the match, SIAC Player of the Year,
Jaxon Hicks recorded nine kills with only one error in 19 attacks to pair with four assists, four blocks and six digs.
Isaiah Fedd greatly contributed to the Wildcats’ victory, recording nine kills, seven digs and an ace.
Kevin McGhee led the Thorobreds’ play with one kill, 10 set assists and six digs, and
Monty Peterson recorded 10 digs across the sets.
With this win, the Wildcats advance to the championship round to face the winner of the tournament’s fourth and final match.
Match 4: Central State 3, Edward Waters 1
The Central State Marauders would not be denied in their 3-1 (
19-25,
25-21,
25-18,
25-23) comeback victory over No. 2 Edward Waters.
Edward Waters took the lead early, maintaining a small margin of victory throughout the first set (25-19). Tavion Ford would lead the Tigers across all four sets, recording 18 kills, two aces and six digs for 21.5 points.
Both teams went point for point, in a close second set, until Central State took the lead, victoriously closing the set at 25-21, also applying pressure in the final set, closing at a narrow 25-23 win.
The Marauders’ play was led by 2024 SIAC First Team honorees, Tyrone Sands and Alain Tamo-Noche. Sands unleashed his attack at the net with 19 kills and 23 points in the match, while Tamo-Noche recorded 10 kills and one ace.
The championship round of the 2024 Cricket SIAC Men’s Volleyball Championship continues tomorrow featuring Fort Valley State and Central State at 1 p.m. ET. The match will be streamed live via Youtube
(@EWUTigersAthletics).
Visit the
tournament’s webpage and follow the SIAC on
Facebook,
Instagram and
X (formerly known as Twitter) for updates!
About the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors seven men's and six women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.