Martin, Tenn. --- In a see-saw battle that went the distance, Tennessee State came out on the short end of a 3-2 decision against UT Martin.

The Tigers dropped set one, 20-25, before coming back to even the match with a 30-28 win in set two. TSU suffered a 25-16 set three loss before dominating UTM, 25-12, in the fourth set. In the fifth and final set, the Skyhawks slid by with a 15-13 win.

Tennessee State (5-15, 3-9 OVC) had 60 kills in the match and hit .143 while UT Martin (5-19, 3-9 OVC) turned in 52 kills and a .142 hitting percentage.

Santia Sanders recorded her second double-double in as many days with a team-high 18 kills and 18 digs. Shaquita Williams registered 16 kills while Terakka Walker (17), Erika Moss (15), Kamille King (14) and Calasia Williams (13) each recorded double-digit digs.

With the score tied, 8-8, in the opening set UTM used a run to capture a 15-12. The Tigers closed to within one but that would be as close as they would get.

In the second set, TSU battled from behind to send the contest into extra points. With the frame knotted at 28, a kill from Vicmari Prospero followed by a Terakka Walker service ace gave TSU the win.

Set three saw the Skyhawks dominate, 25-16, while the momentum shifted to TSU in the fourth set. The Tigers defeated the Skyhawks 25-12.

In the fifth and deciding set, TSU jumped out to an 8-3 lead, forcing UTM to call a timeout. Out of the break, the Skyhawks outscored the Tigers, 6-1, to even the score, 9-9. The teams traded points over the next several rallies. With UTM, holding on to a slight, 14-13, a TSU attack error pushed the Skyhawks to the win.   

The Tigers return to action on Tuesday, Oct. 26 at Eastern Kentucky. Match time is slated for 6 p.m.

Lauren Montague led UT Martin with 19 kills to go with 18 digs while Katie Redman added 11 kills and 17 digs. Kasey Elswick led the team with 26 digs while Jenna Kragt and chipped in 18.