NASHVILLE--- After a tough weekend to start the season last week, the volleyball team (0-2) will return with two more games in the LUV Invitational at Lipscomb University.
 
The Tigers suffered two losses in Macomb, Illinois. The first game was a five-set classic, in which TSU had a 2-1 advantage before falling against former OVC foe Murray State. The next day, they went down to Cleveland State in straight sets.
 
"We want to play the best to be clicking once the conference season starts," said Tiger head coach Donika Sutton. "We are focused on the task at hand. Getting better each day and be ready."
 
Sutton employed a "Six Million Dollar Man" approach to recruiting this season. She made her roster bigger, stronger, and faster. Two of her recruits paid huge dividends in their collegiate debuts. Freshman Alanys Otero quarterbacked the offense from her setter position to the tune of 54 assists in the two games, earning nominations for OVC Setter and Freshman of the Week honors. Classmate Celianiz Cabranes had a stellar weekend on defense, gobbling up 32 digs in the two games with a high of 22 against Murray State. With her efforts, Cabranes was nominated as OVC Defensive Player of the Week.
 
All-OVC preseason selection Kennedy Davis pitched in on the offensive end, scoring 20 points in the two games and swinging at a .444 clip against Cleveland State. Davis is also leading the OVC with 1.38 blocks per set average.
 
On Friday, the Tigers will take on the Ole Miss Rebels for the fourth time in program history, with the Rebels winning two matches. TSU's victory was in 1997 in a five-set thriller. On Saturday, host Lipscomb will take the court against TSU. That series is knotted up at 6-6. All three teams will go into the invitational looking for their first victory of the season.
 
The Matchup: Ole Miss vs. Tennessee State Tigers  
Date/Time: Friday, September 1 | 6 p.m. (CST)
The Matchup: Tennessee State Tigers at Lipscomb University
Date/Time: Saturday, September 2 | 6 p.m. (CST)
Watch Live: ESPN +
Live Stats:  http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=468532
Location: | Allen Arena Nashville
 
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.
• The "Big Blue Wall" leads the OVC in blocks per set with a 2.63 average. Three players in the top 10 in blocks per set in the OVC. Kennedy Davis (1.38) leads the conference. Sophomore Gabrielle Johnson (1.25) is fifth, and senior Jayla Holcombe (1.00) is ninth.
• Senior Celestial Miller is third in the OVC in service aces per set (0.54).

SCOUTING OLE MISS:

• The Rebels are coming off an 11-17 record last season. They go into this weekend on a nine-game losing streak, with six coming at the end of last season.
• Last season, the Rebels' young core of  Aly Borellis, Cammy Niesen, and Vivian Miller earned a combined four weekly SEC honors. Borellis was named to the SEC All-Freshman team, and she already has 1,000 assists in only 28 games.
• First-year head coach has won a National Championship as a player at Long Beach State and as an assistant coach at Nebraska.
• TSU head softball Genee McRath is an Ole Miss alum.

SCOUTING LIPSCOMB:

• Head coach Brian Rosenthal is in his 21^st season at Lipscomb. The Bison have made eight NCAA appearances under his leadership. He led his team to a 46-game ASUN winning streak from 2008-2011.
• The Bison were picked to finish second in the ASUN.
• Preseason ASUN Setter of the Year Sophia Hudepohl was huge in the loss to #5 Nebraska with 20 assists.
• For the tenth consecutive year, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and the United States Marine Corps (USMC) recognized the Lipscomb volleyball program with a Team Academic Award for its success in the classroom for the 2022-23 season.

UP NEXT: 
The Tigers will travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, to play three games in the Utah Classic on September 8 and 9.