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The home court advantage was bold, bright and in full effect for Edward Waters.
Edward Waters playing the debut match on the school’s new and colorful gym floor defeated Central State 25-22, 25-27, 25-20, 25-17 on Friday to move into a tie with the Marauders for first place in SIAC.
Outside attacker Kaelen Ingram had a game-high six kills in the final game to secure the victory. Ingram also finished the match with 12 kills and was one of two Edward Waters players to have double-digit kills against Central State (7-12, 5-1 SIAC).
Opposite Evens Edouard led Edward Waters (8-17, 5-1 SIAC) with 13 kills to help end the team’s two-match losing streak.
Setter Kenyon Haynes guided the Wildcats offense to a match-best .344 attack percentage in the fourth game. In addition, Edward Waters overcame having a negative attack percentage in its second-game loss to out-hit Central State .162 to .140.
Along with the setting performance, Hayes had a match-high four aces.
Outside attacker Cameron Lee in the loss led all players with 17 kills. D’Aaron McCraney contributed 13 kills and was the only other Central State player to have more than five kills and hit above zero.
Edward Waters libero Oneil Daley defensively finished with a match-high 15 digs.
Both Edward Waters and Central State are tied with two remaining conference matches and are a half-match ahead of third-place Fort Valley State. The top two teams will earn an opening round bye in the double-elimination SIAC Tournament .
This victory came after Edwards Waters earlier in the day unveiled its new basketball and volleyball court at the Adams-Jenkins Complex.
The court showcases the school’s colors and nickname, the Wildcats. The primary color of the floor is bright orange with long wavy purple stripes throughout the court to make the floor represent a wildcat.