Macomb, Ill.--- After a convincing exhibition sweep of the UT-Southern Firehawks this past Tuesday, the Tennessee State University Volleyball Team will open their regular season in the Leatherneck Classic at Western Illinois University.
 
"UT-Southern allowed us to shake the jitters off," said TSU head coach Donika Sutton, "Once we got in the groove, everything went smoothly. We are excited for this weekend. It will be a tough weekend. We are excited to see what we are made of."
 
Going into the season, Sutton had to find players to fill some big shoes from last year's team. On Tuesday, her frontline combined for 51 kills in the victory. Grad student Alondra Santana-Rodriguez led the balanced attack with 11 kills, swinging at a .625 clip. Fellow grad student Aleksandra Rojecka tallied nine kills, six coming in the second set. Freshman Alanys Otero set up the attackers with a whopping 46 assists. On defense, freshman Jadyn Webb had 24 digs.

"It was a different type of focus tonight," said Santana-Rodriguez after the game. "This definitely gave me more confidence. We're trying to play more cohesively. We are getting it together."
 
This will be the first of two trips for the Tigers to Macomb. This season, Western Illinois has joined the OVC. On Friday, TSU will take on former OVC foe Murray State at 3 p.m. On Saturday, they will face Cleveland State, the first time both schools meet.
 
 
The Matchup: Murray State vs. Tennessee State Tigers  
Date/Time: Friday, August 25 | 3 p.m. (CST)
The Matchup: Cleveland State vs. Tennessee State Tigers 
Date/Time: Saturday, August 26 | noon (CST)
Watch Live: No TV
Live Stats: https://goleathernecks.com/sidearmstats/wvball/media
Location: | Western Hall Macomb, Illinois
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS:

• Senior Kennedy Davis is the lone Tiger named to the All-OVC Preseason Team
• The Tigers have nine players returning from their OVC championship team. Of the six newcomers, three are first-year students.
• Senior Jayla Holcombe will play against her former school, Murray State.
• The trip to Illinois will be somewhat of a homecoming for Davis and Holcombe. The seniors played on AAU teams together, growing up about three hours away from Macomb.

 
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE:

• The Racers have a 53-10 record against TSU. They are on a 10-game winning streak against the Tigers.
• Head coach Dave Schwepker is starting his 26^th season with Murray.
• Last season, Murray had a 12-17 overall record.

SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE:

• This will be the first meeting between the two schools.
• Head coach Chuck Voss is starting his 24^th season at Cleveland State.
• The Vikings are returning 12 players.
• Last season, CSU had a 14-17 overall record.

 
Up Next:
The Tigers will be action in action on September 1-2 at the Lipscomb University Tournament.