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Tennessee State University

2
USC Upstate UPST 0-3
3
Winner Tennessee State TSU 1-2
USC Upstate UPST
0-3
2
Final
3
Tennessee State TSU
1-2
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
USC Upstate UPST 25 26 25 14 10 (2)
Tennessee State TSU 27 24 23 25 15 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

TSU Volleyball Earns 3-2 Victory over USC Upstate

BOX SCORE

CHARLESTON, S.C. --- The Tennessee State volleyball team capped the opening weekend with a 3-2 (27-25, 24-26, 23-25, 25-15, 15-10) victory over USC Upstate on Saturday evening at TD Arena.  The win is the first for first-year Head Coach Donika Sutton in her TSU career.

Facing strong competition, the Tigers finished the Hampton Inn and Suites Classic with a 1-2 record. TSU dropped matches to Denver and College of Charleston before bouncing back with Saturday's victory.

Senior libero Cherlie Adorno-DeJesus, who earned a spot on the All-Tournament team, posted a career-high 37 digs in the win over USC Upstate. Her previous career best was 34 digs against Jacksonville State last season.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

  •  Tennessee State's offense was led by 16 kills apiece from sophomore Julia Pierson and senior Alexis Johnson.
  • Samantha Beltran also guided the TSU offense in the match with 43 assists.
  •  In addition to Adorno-DeJesus' 37 digs, Pierson added 11 to go with her 16 kills for a double-double.
  • Curstyn Wilson far exceeded her previous career high by securing 20 digs against USC Upstate, while Beltran and Kylie Hayes recorded 14 digs apiece. Wilson chipped in with a team high five service aces.

SET BY SET
First Set: In a tightly contested first set, TSU trailed by as many as four points after a 4-0 run by the Spartans put TSU in a 20-16 hole. Senior Alexis Johnson swung the momentum back to TSU with three kills as part of a 4-0 stretch for the Tigers to level the scoring. Tennessee State was one point from victory when an attack error tied things up at 25-25. An attack error by USC Upstate followed by a kill from Rachel Henderson gave TSU the 27-25 win in set No. 1.

Second Set: In another back-and-forth set, TSU again found itself down by a 20-16 score. This time, however, the Tigers were not able to recover as USC Upstate went on to pick up a 26-24 win. The Tigers committed nine attack errors in the set.

Third Set: A fast start by the Spartans gave the Tigers a 6-1 deficit early in the third. The Tigers clawed all the way back with a 12-6 run to take a 13-12 advantage. The scoring seesawed until everything was knotted at 22-22. USC Upstate was able to pick up three of the set's final four points for a 25-23 win.   

Fourth Set: TSU used a 12-4 run halfway through the set to gain the upper hand. Holding an 18-11 edge, TSU maintained its distance from the Spartans and finished the 25-14 win with an ace from Wilson and a kill from Johnson.

Fifth Set: The Tigers never trailed in the third set, earning a 15-10 victory to take the match. TSU led by as many as six points on two occasions in the final set.

MATCH NOTES

  • Saturday's match versus USC Upstate was the first-ever meeting between the two sides.
  • Earlier in the day, TSU battled Colonial Athletic Conference favorite College of Charleston – eventually falling by a 3-1 final score.

UP NEXT
Tennessee State will travel to Bowling Green, Ky. to take on Western Kentucky on Tuesday, Aug. 29.

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