COLUMBUS, Ohio- Tennessee State University volleyball team is no stranger to winning when they are counted out. On the strength of a defense that ranked second in the country in total blocks, they were able to win the OVC tournament as a six seed. Now there's one more title they hope to bring home – the NCAA crown.

Being an underdog has been the mantra this season for the Tennessee State University Tiger Volleyball Team. Picked to finish last in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll, the Tigers finished the season 10-8, tied with in conference play with three other schools for third place. Tiebreakers made TSU the sixth seed becoming only the second OVC team to win the crown at that seed. Now, the Tigers set their sights on breaking another Ohio bracket as they take on the Texas region third seed - the Ohio State Buckeyes.

"In this tournament we have nothing to lose and everything to gain," said head coach Donika Sutton. "They are one of the top teams in the nation so this is truly a huge test for us. For me I love it. I feel like I have always been an underdog. For the team to emulate that make us more together. We have been an underdog all season so this is a comfortable position for us. We just have to go out there and be ourselves." 

Defeating the Buckeyes will not be an easy task. Ohio State finished eighth in the AVCA Coaches Poll. Their 19-9 overall record includes wins over eight ranked teams. The Buckeyes are battle tested as they only played four teams outside of the AVCA top 100 this season. This will be the second straight season that Ohio State will host the first two rounds of the tournament.

For the Tigers to break the bracket, they will look to their stellar defense. Besides their nationally ranking in total blocks they led the OVC in defensive hitting percentage (.172) and libero Gina Rivera-Ortiz finished the season as the OVC career leader in digs (2,628). The team will look to their nothing to lose approach when they take on the Buckeyes and what should be a hostile environment.