Nashville --- The Tennessee State University volleyball team
defended its home court in a, 3-1 (25-18, 26-24, 15-25, 25-20), win over
Eastern Illinois Friday night in Kean Hall.
Tennessee State improved to 4-9 (2-3 OVC) while Eastern
Illinois moved to 8-8 (1-3 OVC).
The Tiger offense was spearheaded by the team's senior
class. Vicmari Prospero registered 13 kills and hit .600 in the contest while Santia
Sanders (12 kills, 11 digs) and Kamille King (11 kills, 14 digs) each recorded
double-doubles.
Eastern Illinois was led by Kelsey Orr with 21 kills while
Reynae Hutchinson notched a double-double with 20 kills and 10 digs. Chrissie
Albers led the team with 13 digs and Alex Zwettler added 12.
In the opening set, a kill by Kamille King put TSU on top
11-7 before the Tigers stretched the advantage to 22-16 on a Panther attack
error. EIU called a timeout to
recover but TSU kept rolling and went on to win the set, 25-18.
After playing to a 12-12 tie in the second set, a service
ace from Shaquita Williams sparked a run that gave TSU a 16-13 lead. TSU
stretched the advantage to 20-14 before three unanswered points from the
Panthers cut the Tiger lead in half. EIU closed to within one, 23-22, and TSU
used a timeout. Out of the break, EIU tied the set and the rest of the frame
was a battle. With the score knotted, 24-24, timely kills from Vicmari Prospero
and Santia Sanders pushed TSU to the win.
The momentum shifted in the third set as EIU built its lead
up to 16-10. The Panthers swelled the advantage to 18-11 before the Tigers used
a timeout to regroup. TSU, however, could not overcome the deficit as EIU kept
the match alive by winning the set, 25-15.
TSU fell behind early in the fourth set but battled back to
take the lead 8-6 on a service ace by Vicmari Prospero. Back-to-back kills from
Prospero followed by an ace by Terakka Walker moved TSU ahead, 14-10 and led to
an EIU timeout. The Tigers
maintained the momentum and took a 19-14 lead before going on to win, 25-20.
EIU finished with 55 kills compared to TSU's 49 but the Tigers
hit .248 while the Panthers only managed a .204 hitting percentage. TSU also
held the advantage in service aces, 5-3, and team blocks, 8-5.
TSU returns to action tomorrow against Southeast Missouri at
2 p.m. in Kean Hall.
