NASHVILLE, TN --The Tennessee State volleyball team lost to the Lindenwood (MO) Lions in four sets (18-25, 25-23, 15-25, 20-25) Saturday at home at Kean Hall Gymnasium. The loss dropped Tennessee State's record to 2-22 overall and 2-12 in OVC action. Before the contest, seniors Jayla Holcombe, Celestial Miller, Rayna Williams, and Kennedy Davis, along with junior Nicole Taylor were honored for Senior Day.

Holcombe finished with 14 kills on the day to lead the Tigers' attack while finishing with a hitting percentage of .414. Storm Davis added eight kills which is her season high. They were set up by the duo of Alanys Otero (16 assists) and Hennesys Lalane (nine assists). On the defensive end, the Tigers got 15 digs from Celianiz Cabranes, along with a season and match-high five blocks from Alondrah Santana-Rodriguez, who had five kills to give her a season-high 8.5 points. 

Game Notes

» Celianiz Cabranes had a team-high one ace in the loss.
» Jayla Holcombe had a team-high 14 kills for Tennessee State.
» Tennessee State got a match-high 15 digs from Celianiz Cabranes.
» Tennessee State attackers were helped by a team-high 16 assists from Alanys Otero.

How It Happened

SET 1 | 18-25 Lions Lead Wire-to-Wire to Take First Set
The Tigers found themselves in an early hole, losing a challenging first set 25-18. Tennessee State trailed by as many as eight points as Lindenwood (MO) never surrendered the lead in a set that was tied up two times before the Lions took control. The Tigers looked like they took an early 2-1 lead, but Lindenwood challenged that the ball was tipped and won. A 5-1 run gave the Lions an 11-6 lead, forcing TSU to call a timeout. After Lindenwood stretched the lead to 17-7. the Tigers chipped away to cut the score to 19-14. TSU couldn't get any closer despite four kills by Holcombe. The Lions outhit the Tigers .303-.036 in the set. 

SET 2 | 25-23 Late Rally Fuels the Tigers to a Set Win 
Tennessee State fought back after dropping the first set to take set two 25-23, tying the match at 1-1. The Tigers took the lead for good at 24-23 in a set that didn't have a lead change before TSU took over in the second half of the stanza. Tennessee State's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Lindenwood (MO) attacks in the stanza. With the score tied at 14, Lindenwood went on a 4-0 to go up 18-14. Up 23-19, the Lions seemed to be in control of the set. A Holcombe kill and consecutive blocks by Holcombe and Santana-Rodriguez gave the Tigers some life. After a Lion error made it set point, Holcombe got her eighth kill of the set to provide TSU with the win. The Tigers hit an efficient .367 percentage in the set and forced six Lion errors. 

SET 3 | 15-25 Quick Runs Give Lions a Set Three Win
Tennessee State dropped the third set, putting TSU in a 2-1 hole. The Tigers couldn't overcome four runs and lost the set 25-15. Tennessee State trailed by as many as 10 points as Lindenwood grabbed the advantage for good at 5-4 in a set that was tied up five times before the Lions took over the lead. Scored their first three points on Tiger service errors. The Lions took a 15-10 lead at the media break on the strength of three 3-0 runs. Lindenwood continued their surge with a 4-0 run to make 20-12, a lead that TSU couldn't overcome. 

SET 4 | 20-25 TSU Can't Overcome a 5-0 Run in Close Final Set
Tennessee State then lost the fourth set, 25-20, to finish the match. After a back-and-forth beginning of the set, TSU took an early 11-7 lead. Lindenwood was able to chip away at the lead and eventually grabbed the advantage for good at 18-15 when they went on a 5-0 run. Tennessee State was never able to recover in a set that was tied up six times before the Lions took over in the second half of the stanza.

Next Friday and Saturday, the Tigers will take their final road trip of the season when they travel to Illinois to take on Western Illinois.