Oxford, Miss.- The Tennessee State volleyball team (0-3) finished up their weekend at the Magnolia Invitational on Saturday, dropping their final two matches to Ole Miss (2-0) and Oral Roberts (2-1).
The Tigers went toe to toe with the Rebels during the first set of the match, staying within a point of Ole Miss for majority of the set. TSU would go on to win the first set 25-22 outhitting Ole Miss 14-7.
Unfortunately, the first set would prove to be the only win for the Tigers, as they dropped the next three sets, losing the match 3-1. Ole Miss took advantage of a slow Tiger start during the second set, taking a 10-0 lead. The Tigers would fail to recover from the deficit, dropping the set 25-9.
Despite a rough second set, TSU bounced back during the third set. The Tigers went on an eight-point run with the help of sophomore setter Samantha Beltran, who recorded three service aces during the run. Kills by juniors Arijana Anderson and Chloe Watson and freshmen Zahria Graham and Ayanna Chase also contributed to the run. In spite of the effort, Tennessee State was unable to hold off Ole Miss, losing the set by just three points (25-22).
The Rebels carried their momentum into the fourth set, producing a .500 hitting percentage with 16 kills on 30 attempts. Ole Miss closed the set 25-15 and collected their second win of the season.
Watson notched her first double-double of the season against Ole Miss, finishing the match with 14 kills and 11 digs. Watson also led the team in total points scored (16).
The Tigers faced Oral Roberts in their final match of the tournament, falling to the Golden Eagles in just three sets.
The first set of the match established the tone for the rest of game, as the Golden Eagles outscored the Tigers 20-12 and recorded a .200 hitting percentage, while TSU recorded a hitting percentage of .074.
Tiger errors proved to be costly during the first set, as their nine recorded errors would ultimately be the number of points TSU needed to win. The final score of the first set was 25-16.
For the next two sets, the Tigers had a difficult time defending the Golden Eagles offence. Each TSU run would be put to an end by an Oral Roberts attack. The Golden Eagles outside hitter, Laura Milos was practically unstoppable, recording 20 kills in just three sets. Collectively, ORU recorded a .320 hitting percentage against TSU.
Ayanna Chase, who recorded a total of eight kills and a hitting percentage of .462, led the Tigers throughout the three sets.
“The record doesn't show our improvement over the weekend, but I feel like we got ten percent better every game we played,” said head coach Kathy Bullock. “0-3 in this tournament is really not a bad thing, because the competition was so good. All that matters is that we're getting better.”
Magnolia Invitational All-Tournament Team
MVP – Nakeyta Clair (Ole Miss)
Aubrey Edie (Ole Miss)
Kathryn Cather (Ole Miss)
Laura Milos (Oral Roberts)
Nika Mostahinic (Oral Roberts)
Lauren Agan (Northwestern State)
Chloe Watson (Tennessee State)
The Tigers continue their season next Saturday in their home opener against Samford University.
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