JONESBORO, Ark. (8/29/20) – Arkansas State volleyball concluded its preseason training Saturday afternoon at First National Bank Arena with its Scarlet-Black scrimmage, with Black taking a 3-0 decision.

The Black squad took three tight sets (25-21, 25-21, 26-24) behind 15 kills by Paulina Sobolewska and a double-double effort by newcomer Lauren Musante (33 assists, 20 digs). The teams played a fourth set to 15 after the three regulation sets, with Black winning 17-15.

“Overall, I thought today was really good,” said assistant coach Shannon Niemeier, who coached the victorious Black squad. “We’ve improved a ton in our blocking and our defense. We’ve realize there are things we need to work on. I thought Kendahl Davenport had a really good match and so did Madison Brown. Our setters did really well, also. I’m just excited to see put it all together against another opponent instead of against each other and to see what that looks like.”

Kendahl Davenport paced the Scarlet squad with a double-double performance of 13 kills and 10 blocks, while hitting .385 in the three sets. Macey Putt also recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs. Scarlet’s Ryley Gill led all players with 23 digs, while Tatum Ticknor collected 21 digs for the Black team.

Madison Brown and Mariah Hesselgesser each tallied 9 kills for Black, with Hesselgesser tying Brianna Hollingshed for the team lead with five blocks on the day. On the Scarlet side, Julianna Cramer handed out 14 assists while Kassidy Reeves notched 11.

A-State, which finished fourth in the Sun Belt West Division a year ago, was predicted by the league’s coaches to finish fourth in the division earlier this week. Timber Terrell earned preseason All-SBC honors after garnering a second-team all-conference nod last season.

The Red Wolves open the 2020 slate on Sept. 13, traveling to Conway to take on in-state foe Central Arkansas. A-State will return home the next day to face the Sugar Bears in its home opener at 3 p.m.

Fans can follow the team on Twitter (@AStateVB) and Instagram (astatevb) along with liking the Arkansas State University Volleyball page on Facebook for the latest news and updates regarding the team.

Original article source: https://astateredwolves.com/news/2020/8/29/womens-volleyball-a-state-volleyball-concludes-preseason-with-scarlet-black-scrimmage.aspx | Article may or may not reflect the views of KLEK 102.5 FM or The Voice of Arkansas Minority Advocacy Council