Lady Bears sweep opening tri-match
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There has been a lot of preseason excitement around the Miles volleyball program with the hire of
Tiffany Hunter as the new head coach. But entering a season-opening tri-match with Alcorn State and Albany State, it was still left to be seen whether the new era of Miles volleyball would be much different than the old.
It didn't take long for the Lady Golden Bears to show things have definitely changed, opening the season with a four-set win over the Division I Braves and a sweep of the Golden Rams, their Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival, at Knox-Windham Gymnasium Tuesday afternoon.
Skyler Johnson had a team-high 18 kills and 22 digs over the two matches while newcomer
La'Promise Boone had 44 assists and a scintillating serve that produced 11 of the Lady Bears' 27 service aces on the day.
Miles put it right to Alcorn State (0-5), racing out to a two-set lead before dropping the third set. But any thoughts of a comeback by the Braves was quickly put to rest as the Lady Bears raced out to a 10-3 in the final set and when Boone smashed her eighth ace of the match, Coach Hunter had her first win, 25-23, 25-21, 17-25, 25-22.
D'leisha Dent hit .615 with a match-high nine kills, Johnson had eight kills and 12 digs, while Boone had five kills, 18 assists and five digs for Miles.
It was much of the same in the nightcap against Albany State (1-5), as Miles' energy was evident against the Golden Rams. The Lady Bears were able to keep several long rallies alive by digging several tough shots from the Lady Rams and turning them into points.
Lauren Moorer had a team-high 12 digs against Albany State and Johnson had a double-double (10 digs, 10 kills).
Kayla Ford picked it up from the service line with eight aces as Miles held a 14-0 advantage in service aces.
Alexus Moore (nine kills) and Boone (26 assists, three aces) also performed well in the 25-22, 25-22, 25-21 victory.
Miles is back in action on Wednesday when it hosts Concordia College. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
