MOREHEAD, KY --The Tennessee State University volleyball team totaled 20 blocks but it was not enough as the fell in a five sets (25-18, 20-25, 25-19, 9-25, 10-15) to the Morehead State Eagles Friday on the road at Johnson Arena.
The loss dropped Tennessee State's record to 8-12 overall and 2-5 in OVC action.
The Tigers were led by double-doubles from Gabrielle Johnson, who registered 10 kills and 16 blocks and Sofia Garcia-Guerrios who had 18 assists and 16 digs on the day. Johanna Alcantara also added 10 kills to help the offense. On the defensive end, Gina Rivera-Ortiz chipped in for with 22 digs to go with four blocks from Johnson.
Game Notes
» Gabrielle Johnson had a team-high one ace in the loss.
» Gabrielle Johnson had a match-high 16 blocks.
» Gabrielle Johnson registered a double-double with 10 kills and 16 blocks
» The TSU front row did a great job defensively, picking up 20 blocks in the match.
» The Tigers never trailed on the way to winning the third set 25-19.
» The Tennessee State block excelled in a third-set win, shutting down eight Morehead State attacks.
» Gabrielle Johnson had a team-high 10 kills for Tennessee State.
» TSU got a match-high 22 digs from Gina Rivera-Ortiz.
» Tennessee State attackers were helped by a team-high 18 assists from Sofia Garcia-Guerrios.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Tigers grabbed control of the set-one lead at 3-2 and never trailed to win 25-18. TSU led by eight points at 15-7 before closing out the set. The Tigers also supplemented their offense with three aces in the opening set. got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked six Morehead State attacks in the stanza.
SET 2 | Tennessee State then lost set two 25-20, evening things at a set each. The Tigers trailed by as many as six points as Morehead State grabbed the advantage for good at 16-15 in a set that was tied up three times before the Eagles took over in the second half of the stanza.
SET 3 | Tennessee State fought back after the second-set loss to grab set three and a 2-1 lead in the match. The Tigers scored first and never trailed in the set to earn a 25-19 victory. Tennessee State opened up as much as a 10 point lead at 21-11 before closing out the set. Tennessee State's front row had a standout defensive performance, blocking eight Morehead State attacks in the stanza and capitalizing on 13 Morehead State attacking errors on the way to victory.
SET 4 | Tennessee State couldn't finish off a four-set win as the Eagles forced a fifth set with a 25-9 victory. The Tigers fell behind on the first point and never clawed back into the lead before losing the set.
SET 5 | Tennessee State and Morehead State went back and forth all game, trading wins in the first three sets until the Eagles took the final two sets, including winning the fifth set 15-10, and the match. The Tigers had a lead early in the set at 10-10 before Morehead State took over.
The Tigers will be back in action this Tuesday with a home match against UT-Martin.
