McNeese Volleyball defeats Jackson State 3-1

From Staff Reports

The Contraband

The McNeese volleyball team remained undefeated at home (2-0) with a four-set (26-28, 25-15, 25-19, 25-11) win over Jackson State Tuesday night. The win snaps a three game losing streak as the Cowgirls improve to 3-10 on the season.


McNeese had three players record 10 or more kills with junior Rebecca Korenek leading the way with 13. Seniors Malina Sanchez and Amber Fryer tallied 13 and 12, respectively. Senior setter Kelly Graham once again led McNeese in assists with 48 and ended the match with a .417 hitting percent with five kills in 12 attempts without an error. Graham also had a career high four service aces. Junior Bridget Justis and Adison Giambrone led McNeese’s back row in digs. Justis was credited with 11 and Giambrone had 10. The Cowgirls had a good blocking night as well, picking up 10 total team blocks. Fryer led the front row with six blocks.

After dropping a nail biting first set 26-28, McNeese regrouped to win the next three. In the second and fourth sets, the Cowgirls jumped out to big leads and held on to win both sets.

After tying the match at one set apiece, the third set was back and forth with both teams trading points. With the set tied a 13 all, kills by Korenek and Monica Hudgins and a Graham ace along with a Jackson State hitting error, gave McNeese a 17-13 lead. JSU would get as close as19-18 before two kills by Graham and a JSU error would give McNeese a 21-19 lead after a McNeese hitting error. McNeese closed out the set by winning four of the last five points on kills by Graham, Korenek and Fryer and another JSU error.

McNeese closed out the match in the fourth set behind the serve of MacKensie Mosley and Alexandra Aguilera. The two combined to serve for 16 of the Cowgirls’ 25 points in the set.

The Cowgirls jumped out to a 9-2 lead behind Mosley’s serve that caused JSU trouble on the receiving end. It was Aguilera’s serve that helped McNeese extend its lead to 19-7. Leading 13-6, Aguilera served for six straight points including two service aces to extend the McNeese lead to 19-6. Korenek would put the match away by scoring three of the Cowgirls’ last five points including the final kill to win the match.

McNeese will begin Southland Conference play this weekend when they will travel to Northwestern State Thursday and continue on the road for a SLC match at Stephen F. Austin Saturday.