NASHVILLE, TN --The Tennessee State volleyball team lost to the Jackson State Tigers in five sets (25-20, 8-25, 16-25, 25-18, 7-15) Friday at Kean Hall. The Tiger offense was paced by Celestial Miller, who finished with 15 kills on the day, and Jayla Holcombe, who had 14. The Tiger attackers were helped out by 42 assists, 29 coming from Hennesys Lalane. On defense, Celianiz Cabranes' 21 digs and five blocks from Gabrielle Johnson to led them defensively.

Game Notes

» Hennesys Lalane had a team-high two aces in the loss.
» Celestial Miller had a match-high 15 kills for Tennessee State.
» Tennessee State got a team-high 21 digs from Celianiz Cabranes.
» Tennessee State attackers were helped by a match-high 29 assists from Hennesys Lalane.

How It Happened

SET 1 | The Tigers grabbed control of the set with an early lead at 6-5 and never looked back to win 25-20. They then stretched the lead to 18-11 on a kill by Miller. JSU cut it three but couldn't get any closer. TSU got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked five Jackson State attacks in the stanza. Miller was big in the set with five kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Kennedy Davis and Holcombe had four kills apiece, swung at a .444 and .400 clip respectively. 

SET 2 | Tennessee State struggled in the second set, dropping it 25-8 to tie the match 1-1. TSU trailed by as many as 17 points as Jackson State grabbed the advantage for good at 5-4 in a set that was tied up three times before Jackson State took over the lead. An early 6-0 JSU run forced a TSU timeout. When play resumed, Jackson State extended the run to 13-0 to put the set away. TSU was plagued by 11 attacks errors in the set. 

SET 3 | Tennessee State fell again in set three to make it a 2-1 deficit. Tennessee State trailed by as many as 10 points as Jackson State grabbed the advantage for good at 5-4 in a set that was tied up three times before the Tigers took over the lead. Runs again gave fuel to JSU in the set. An early 7-0 run made the score 10-4, forcing a TSU timeout. They followed that up with a 6-1 run to make the score 18-9.. TSU cut it to six at 20-14, couldn't get closer. 

SET 4 | Tennessee State broke their two set losing streak and forced a fifth set with a 25-18 victory in set number four. TSU took control of the set at 5-4 and never looked back. A quick 4-0 spurt made the score 8-4, forcing JSU to call a timeout. Miller was huge once again, getting five kills in a row during a 9-0 run to make the score 13-4. JSU stormed back, cutting the lead to 19-16, but TSU scored five of the final seven points to win the set. 

SET 5 | After dropping sets two and three, Tennessee State won set four, tying things up at 2-2 to force a fifth set, but couldn't complete the comeback, losing the set 15-7 and the match 3-2. JSU started fast with a 7-1 lead, forcing a TSU timeout. Their attackers were on point, swinging at a .800 clip for the set, while forcing TSU to swing at -.167. 

The Tigers will finish the Tiger-Bruin Invite with a match on the road against Belmont.