NASHVILLE, TN --The Tennessee State Tiger volleyball team lost to the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks in three sets (17-25, 18-25, 17-25) Saturday in OVC action from Kean Hall. The loss dropped TSU's record to 2-15 overall and 2-5 in OVC play.

Kennedy Davis finished with 11 kills on the day to lead the Tigers' offense while finishing with a hitting percentage of .250. Davis and her fellow attackers were set up double-digit assist efforts from Aleksandra Rojecka (13) and Alanys Otero (11). Twenty-three digs from Celianiz Cabranes led them defensively. Rojecka tied Gabrielle Johnson with four blocks, while Davis chipped in with three. 

Game Notes

» Celestial Miller had a team-high two aces in the loss.
» Davis had a team-high 11 kills for TSU.
» The Tigers got a match-high 23 digs from Cabranes.
» TSU attackers were helped by a team-high 13 assists from Rojecka.

How It Happened

SET 1 | 17-25 Hot Hitting Dooms Tigers 
The Tigers fell behind early, dropping a tough first set 25-17. TSU trailed by as many as eight points as Southeast Missouri State grabbed the advantage for good at 3-2 in a set that was knotted up three times before the Redhawks took control. SEMO started hot with an 8-4 lead, swinging at .714 percent. After going down 14-9, Davis got two consecutive kills to cut the lead to three. TSU couldn't get any closer as SEMO went on a tear to take a 20-14. SEMO finished the set, only getting two errors. Davis kept the Tigers in the set with six kills, swinging at a .556 clip.  

SET 2 | 18-25 Set of Runs Ends With SEMO Win
TSU then dropped set two 25-18 to fall behind two sets to none in the match. The Tigers trailed by as many as seven points as Southeast Missouri State grabbed the advantage for good at 14-13 in a set that was tied up seven times before the Redhawks took over in the second half of the stanza. The Tigers scored the first three points of the set. After SEMO took the lead, TSU went on a 6-1 run to go up 12-9. SEMO scored 10 of the following 12 points to go up 19-16. The Tigers were able to cut it to 20-18, but SEMO finished the set on a 5-0 run. 

SET 3 | 17-25 Tigers Fall in Intense Set
The Tigers couldn't prolong the match and lost in set number three. TSU fell in a tough set 25-17. Tennessee State trailed by as many as eight points as Southeast Missouri State grabbed the advantage for good at 6-5 in a set that was knotted up four times before the Redhawks took over the lead. The turning point in the set came when SEMO was up 8-6. An intense rally with several outstanding plays by both teams ended with a block by SEMO. The Tigers couldn't recover from there. 

The Tigers will finish the home stand with a match against UT Martin this Tuesday. First set will be at 6 p.m.