NASHVILLE --The Tennessee State Tiger volleyball team fell to the Ole Miss Rebels in straight sets (19-25, 18-25, 15-25) in day two action in the LUV Invitational at Lipscomb University. The Rebels were propelled by Ally Borellis' 37 assists and a strong front line that forced TSU into a .101 hitting percentage. The Rebels leave Nashville winning both of their games in the invitational.
Senior Jayla Holcombe finished with ten kills on the day to lead the Tiger (0-3) attack while finishing with a hitting percentage of .421. Freshman Celianiz Cabranes led them defensively with 12 digs. Junior Hennesys Lalane and Alanys Otero combined for 28 assists. For Lalane, this was her first game in a Tiger uniform.
Game Notes
» Gabrielle Johnson had a team-high two aces in the loss.
» Jayla Holcombe had a team-high ten kills for TSU
» TSU got a match-high 12 digs from Celianiz Cabranes.
» The Tiger attackers were helped by a team-high 16 assists from Hennesys Lalane.
How It Happened
SET 1 The Tigers fell behind early, dropping a tough first set 25-19. Tennessee State trailed by as many as eight points but rallied back to cut the lead to 18-15. A combined block by Jayla Holcombe and Kennedy Davis made the score 21-18, but the Rebels finished the set on a 4-1 run to go up 1-0. Three of Ole Miss' last five points came off of service errors.
SET 2 | A 25-18 set-two loss put Tennessee State in a 2-0 hole in the match. Tennessee State trailed by as many as seven points in the set. TSU grabbed an early 2-1 lead on an attack error. A kill by Holcombe gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead. From there, the set stayed close until Ole Miss grabbed the advantage for good at 9-8 in a set that was tied up five times. Two consecutive points by Gabrielle Johnson made the score 19-15 but that was as close as the Tigers could get.
SET 3 | TSU was not able to win the third set and was swept by Ole Miss. The Tigers dropped the first point and never clawed back into the lead before falling in the set 25-15. A kill by Nicole Taylor knotted the score at five, but the Rebels put the set away on a 9-2 run and the Tigers couldn't find the momentum to get back in the match.
The Tigers will be back in action tomorrow when they take on Lipscomb at 6 p.m.
