TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Feet pounded the bleachers as "Match Point, Stillman" was announced over the Birthright Alumni Hall speakers. The most anticipated moment of the last two seasons became reality when
Raine Patterson's attack bounced off the hands of Miles College's Jayden McGhee. Stillman won its home opener, 3-1, for the Tigers' first win since the program was restored from a six-year hiatus in 2022.
The wait is over.
"It was a phenomenal night. We had a huge fan turnout. The team is finally playing as a team," said first-year Stillman head coach Theresa Berry-Franks. "We worked through a lot of struggles the past few games, which were mental mistakes. Tonight they were able to finally get past those and show what they can actually do. I'm super proud of our group and super proud of the fan support. It's a wonderful start to our season and excellent start to our home schedule."
The win is Stillman's first on the court since a 3-0 win over Miles College on Oct. 31, 2015. The Tigers did receive a forfeit win during the 2022 season.
Stillman jumped out to a 4-1 start in the first set, however Miles College was able to break a late 16-16 tie to win the first set 25-18. The Tigers trailed most of the second set before capitalizing on a series of Miles errors, along with a pair of
Aeraeonna Manuel kills to rally and even the score, 19-19. More errors tilted advantage to the Tigers to set up a set-point ace by
Erin Nelson.
After winning its first set on its home gym, momentum continued to rise. Stillman pushed ahead in the third set, 15-14, and used an 11-3 rally to take a 2-1 advantage in the match. Stillman scored the last five points of the set with a kill from Manuel, two kills by Patterson and two
Paige Eason service aces.
The fourth set was all Stillman. Five different Tigers collected kills and three recorded an ace to help propel Stillman to the 25-14 final set victory. The Tigers led by 11 points, 21-10, before trading out points en route to match point.
Overall, Stillman's attack was balanced with Areaonna Manuel finishing with kills, while Paterson,
Katelyn Lawson and
Ava Cameron had six kills.
Brianna Moore each had five.
Erin Nelson and
Kelis Conley had 16 and 14 set assists, respectively. The Tigers had 14 total service aces, with five apiece from Eason and Nelson. Defensively,
Emily Powell had 15 digs, while Eason and Conley each had 10 to give Conley her first double-double of the season.
Miles College's Kayla Trawick led all players with 11 kills.
Stillman not only won its first match on the hardwood, but set its NAIA era (2022-present) program single-match records for points (57), kills (37), assists (25) and service aces (14).
This weekend, Stillman College (1-5) will prepare to play their seventh and eighth matches in an eight-day span when it travels to Nashville, Tennessee for a tri-match at Fisk University. The Tigers will meet the Fisk Bulldogs at 11 a.m. for its HBCU Athletic Conference opener, followed by a 1 p.m. non-conference match against Brescia University.
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