LIVINGSTON, Ala. – In its home-opening match of 2021, the West Alabama volleyball team lost its first conference game of the season, as the Mississippi College Choctaws pulled several set comebacks to down UWA 3-1 (25-18, 15-25, 25-19, 25-22) on Tuesday afternoon inside Pruitt Hall Gymnasium.

Nathalia Medeiros led the Tigers with 11 kills, hitting .250 in the match. She was the only Tiger player to hit double figures in the competition.

At setter, Desiree Blount led her team in assist. She recorded a season-high 32 assists against the Choctaws.

West Alabama recorded 47 digs on the defensive side, with MacKenzie Wells leading the effort with 21.

MC hit .220 as a team and was led by 17 kills from Kendall Pratt. The Choctaws had three block solos and six blocks, 48 assists, and 41 digs.

SET ONE
The Tigers struck first with a first play kill by Nathalia Medeiros. The two teams traded scoring and remained within two points of each other before several miscues by UWA gave Mississippi College a 12-8 advantage. West Alabama tried to close the gap, but a service ace by Lydia Paulette would provide the Choctaw with their most significant scoring margin of the set so far at 18-11. MC reached set point, but the Tigers continued to battle. With a score of 24-16 in favor of Mississippi College, Mackenzie Wells and Isabela Sarti landed back-to-back kills, but it was not enough to put UWA back in the game. The Choctaws claimed the final point of the set on a kill from Sloane FitzHenry. In the opening set, the Tigers hit .214 in the frame with six errors while MC was efficient, hitting .333 with 13 kills against the West Alabama defense.

SET TWO
West Alabama took a quick lead to begin set two, grabbing the first three points off two attack errors by the Choctaws and a service ace from Desiree Blount. The ball continued to fall on the right side of the net for the Tigers, with UWA taking an 8-2 lead before Mississippi College called its first timeout. The pause in play did not stop the Tigers momentum. West Alabama grabbed two more points to take a 10-2 lead before the Choctaws would score again. MC rallied and cut the Tiger lead to 11-6, but the comeback was short-lived.  UWA took the set 25-15. West Alabama's hitting improved to .389 in the frame eight kills with just one error. MC came up hard against UWA's defense to see hitting at .033 in the set with nine kills and eight errors.

SET THREE
UWA and MC traded points to open set three. Ahead by a single point (7-6), West Alabama claimed the following five points to take a 12-6 lead. The Choctaws rallied again, and this time found themselves in striking distance of the Tigers lead, 13-12. After remaining behind one and tying three times, Mississippi College took its first lead of the set, 20-19, after a kill and service ace by FitzHenry and a miscue by the Tiger offense. FitzHenry and MC continued their assault on UWA and extended their lead to 23-19. West Alabama called a timeout, but the last two points would go to MC.

SET FOUR
The Tigers jumped ahead early, starting the set with a 6-1 lead. UWA's lead did not last long. With a score of 9-4, MC claimed eight back-to-back points to charge ahead of West Alabama to take an 11-9 lead. The two teams spent the rest of the match trading points and exchanging leads, tying six times before the set's conclusion. With a score of 23-22, MC gained the final two points on back-to-back kills for the match victory. UWA saw hitting a .242, while MC hit .275 in the last set.

UP NEXT
West Alabama will be back on the court on Friday, Sept. 24, to take on the University of Alabama – Huntsville at 6 p.m. inside of Pruitt Hall Gymnasium.