WILBERFORCE, Ohio — The LeMoyne Owen College women's volleyball team continued Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play over the weekend, competing in three matches at the SIAC Western Crossover inside Beacom/Lewis Gymnasium.
The Lady Magicians faced Edward Waters and Savannah State on Friday before closing the weekend against Albany State on Saturday. Despite leaving Ohio without a victory, LeMoyne Owen showed stretches of competitive play throughout the crossover, with several Lady Magicians delivering notable individual performances.
LOC opened the weekend against Edward Waters, falling in straight sets, 25-17, 25-17 and 25-15. Kennedy White provided the offensive spark for the Lady Magicians, finishing with a match-high 11 kills while adding seven digs and a block. White accounted for more than half of LOC's 21 kills in the match.
Madelyn Ross continued to direct the offense from the setter position, recording 18 assists along with two service aces and four digs. Ileana Austin led the defensive effort with nine digs, while Ca'Driane Martin contributed two kills and was involved in two blocks. LOC finished with four total blocks compared to three for Edward Waters.
The Lady Magicians returned to the floor later Friday and put together a stronger offensive performance against Savannah State despite falling 25-22, 25-19 and 25-22. LOC totaled 32 kills and 41 digs, staying within three points of the Tigers in both the opening and closing sets. Savannah State finished with 37 kills and 43 digs.
White once again led LOC offensively with 10 kills, while Jordan Williams followed closely with nine kills on a .238 hitting percentage. Jada Griffin added five kills, and Malani Duncan made the most of her opportunities with four kills on five attempts and a .600 hitting percentage.
Ross turned in one of her strongest all-around performances of the weekend, finishing with 22 assists, four service aces, five digs and three kills. Defensively, Makayla Smith paced the Lady Magicians with 12 digs, while Austin added 10.
LeMoyne Owen closed the crossover Saturday morning against Albany State, one of the SIAC's top teams. The Lady Magicians challenged the Golden Rams particularly well in the second set, pushing Albany State before narrowly falling 25-23. ASU ultimately earned the straight-set victory, 25-16, 25-23 and 25-18.
Williams and White shared the team lead with nine kills apiece against Albany State, with Williams hitting .227. White also contributed three service aces, six digs and two block assists. Martin added five kills and was involved in two blocks.
Smith anchored the back row with a team-high 13 digs, while Ross handed out 18 assists. Ki-Litta Sowell also provided a boost from the service line with three aces as LOC finished with seven aces as a team.
Across the three-match weekend, White emerged as one of LOC's most consistent offensive threats, recording 30 kills while also contributing on the defensive end. Ross totaled 58 assists and seven service aces, continuing to serve as the primary facilitator of the Lady Magicians' offense. Williams added 22 kills across the crossover, highlighted by back-to-back nine-kill performances against Savannah State and Albany State.
The Lady Magicians will now turn their attention to the next stretch of their schedule. LeMoyne Owen travels to Huntsville, Alabama, to face Oakwood University on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 6 p.m., before returning to SIAC competition on the road against rival Lane College on Friday, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. in Jackson, Tennessee. The Lady Magicians then head to Fairfield, Alabama, for the Miles Cluster on Oct. 16-17.
