TALLADEGA, Ala. - The Talladega College volleyball team opened a difficult three-match home stand on Friday evening when they welcomed the Southern States Athletic Conference leading William Carey University (Miss.) Crusaders into Billy C. Hawkins Arena. The Tornadoes were looking for their fourth win in their last five matches, but as competitive as they were, the Crusaders proved too much to overcome.

Talladega (11-13, 4-9 SSAC) played William Carey (25-1, 13-1 SSAC) to within the minimum two points in the first and third sets, but the Crusaders were able to hold off Talladega in straight sets 25-23, 25-15, and 34-32.

Talladega opened the first set on a 5-3 run, and they led 7-5 when William Carey rattled off seven straight points to take the lead 12-7. While Talladega was unable to get the match tied again in the set, the Tornadoes were able to stay close and keep the pressure on the Crusaders. A 3-0 run closed the gap to 15-14 on an ace from Kenya Glenn, and after WCU pushed the margin to three, Tianah Sanders picked up a kill to cut the deficit to 23-22. The Tornadoes pulled within one again moments later on a bad set from WCU, but the Crusaders closed out the set to win it 25-23.

The Tornadoes were close early in the second set, as the score was tied a 5-5, but from that point on in the frame, WCU took command. The Crusaders put together runs of 5-0 and 6-1 while the Tornadoes were unable to score consecutive points after that 5-5 tie, as WCU won the set 25-15 and pulled to the brink of victory.

Talladega again started quickly in the third stanza, as they won five of the first seven points. WCU rallied to tie the score at 7-7, but a 5-0 run gave TC a 14-10 lead. The Crusaders answered with a 9-0 stretch that appeared to put the match away, but the Tornadoes battled back. With the Crusaders up 22-16, Talladega put together a 8-1 run to take the lead 24-23 and give TC a set point chance. The battle then intensified, as the match was tied nine times in the ensuing 17 points. In that span, the Tornadoes had three more set point chances, while they also fought off match point for the Crusaders four times. The match went on until WCU took the final two points to claim the win in the set 34-32 to complete the sweep.

ZyAire-Prettie Garrit led the Tornadoes with 10 kills in the match, Nedu Evans added seven, and Sanders smashed six. Dominique Madarang dished up 17 assists, Glenn recorded 14 digs, and Garrit completed the double-double with a dozen digs of her own. Evans participated in four blocks, Sanders also notched four stuffs, and Josephine Gates took part in five blocks.

The home stand will continue on Saturday when the Tornadoes welcome in the Loyola University (La.) Wolfpack (18-9, 11-3 SSAC) for a 1 p.m. matinee.