EVANSVILLE, IN - The Tennessee State volleyball team picked up their second win of the season, as they took down the Evansville Purple Aces in four sets (25-22, 19-25, 25-18, 25-14) Tuesday evening on the road at Carson Center.
The non-conference victory moved the Tigers' overall record to 2-4 on the season.
Johanna Alcantara finished with 16 kills on the day to lead the TSU offense, while finishing with a hitting percentage of .275. The Tiger defense had two players reach double figures in dig,s as Gina Rivera-Ortiz had 14, and Sofia Garcia-Guerrios had 10. From the front row, Gabrielle Johnson contributed seven blocks.
Game Notes
» Carla Boudal had a team-high three aces in the win.
» Tennessee State never trailed on the way to winning the fourth set 25-14.
» Johanna Alcantara had a team-high 16 kills for Tennessee State.
» Tennessee State got a match-high 14 digs from Gina Rivera-Ortiz.
» Tennessee State attackers were helped by a team-high 34 assists from Login Williams.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Tigers took set one 25-22 thanks to a strong performance on the attacking end. TSU put together a .395 attack percentage with 20 kills in the set victory. After the lead changed hands three times, the Tigers took control for good at 18-17 and rode that advantage to victory.
SET 2 | Tennessee State dropped set two 25-19 to tie the match 1-1. Tennessee State trailed by as many as six points as Evansville grabbed the advantage for good at 17-16 in a set that was knotted up six times before the Purple Aces took over in the second half of the stanza.
SET 3 | Tennessee State then got back on the winning track, emerging victorious in set three and taking a two sets to one lead in the match. The Tigers took control of the set early when the score was 2-1 and never looked back to win 25-18. TSU led by as many as 12 points at 19-7 before finishing off the stanza. The Tennessee State offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza. TSU's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Evansville attacks in the stanza.
SET 4 | Tennessee State kept the momentum going, ending the match with a 25-14 set-four victory. The Tigers scored first and never trailed in the set to earn the victory. Tennessee State opened up as much as an 11 point lead at 24-13 before finishing off the stanza, totaling 16 kills in the set.
Quote From Coach
"Having our newcomers come in and help lead this offense has been a huge boost of confidence!", stated coach Donika Sutton. "Login has proven that not only can she lead, but she can also defend on both ends. Johanna tonight played both sides of the net from offensively leading in kills and defending their power go to hitter! Kennedy and Gabby have solidified themselves as our middles and I hope we can continue to grow together going into this weekend!"
Up Next
The Tigers will travel out west, as they are set to play three games in the Cal Tournament, hosted by University of California at Berkeley. TSU will take on Nevada, and Cal on Friday, before closing out the tournament with Utah Tech on Saturday afternoon. Check out TSU's upcoming schedule here.
