NASHVILLE- Head coach Donika Sutton loves to motivate her players. Last season, her team was picked to finish last by her conference counterparts. That prediction inspired the Tennessee State Tiger volleyball team to win the OVC tournament, earning an automatic berth in the NCAA. Despite their strong finish, the Tigers are once again motivated. They are picked to finish sixth out of the 11 conference teams. Though it is better than last year, it again gives TSU something to prove. With nine players returning, the task shouldn't be challenging.

"Last year is over, and we must get back to work," said Sutton. Six of our players are new, so they don't know how it felt to win it. We know how good we can be; that's all that matters. We have enjoyed a good preseason so far. Like last year, we have some tough opponents on our schedule. We want them to be prepared when the OVC season starts."

Last season, the Tigers used an outstanding defense to fuel their run to the OVC championship. TSU led the OVC in opponent-hitting percentage (.172) and blocks per set (2.45) while also finishing as the only team in the conference to have over 300 total blocks with 326, placing them second in the country. Senior Kennedy Davis (138) and sophomore Gabrielle Johnson (129) had over 100 total blocks, with Davis leading the OVC in that category. Davis is the lone Tiger to make the OVC preseason all-conference team.

To help shore up the front wall, Sutton recruited size and length. Transfers Erica Calderone (Indian Hills Community College) and Jayla Holcombe (Murray State) are tall and athletic. They join holdover grad students Aleksandra Rojecka, Alondrah Santana-Rodriguez, and juniors Celestial Miller, Nicole Taylor, and Storm White. Defensive specialist Rayna Williams gave the team a lift during the late-season winning streak.

To keep the defense strong, Sutton will have to find a replacement for the OVC career leader in digs, Gina Rivera-Ortiz. She is looking to junior Hadley Pride and freshmen Ceilianiz Cabranes and Jadyn Webb to step up and fill that role.

On offense, the team will look to replace the TSU single-season record holder in kills Johanna Alcantara, and setter Sophia Garcia-Guerrios. Sutton will rely on a points-by-committee approach from Rojecka, Miller, Santana-Rodriguez, Taylor, Calderone, and Holcombe. At setter, Sutton will audition 6'3 junior transfer from Indian Hills Community College Hennesys Lalane and freshman Alanys Otero.

Tonight, TSU will host Tennessee Southern in an exhibition game at 6:00 p.m. at Gentry Center. The season officially begins on August 25 when they travel to Macomb, Ill., to play two games in the Western Illinois Tournament. TSU will take on Murray State on the 25^th, followed by a matchup with Cleveland State on the 26th.