NASHVILLE – Last weekend, the Tennessee State Tiger volleyball team snapped an 11-game losing streak. This weekend, they will look to get their first Nashville victory this season when they take on the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles (6-9, 2-2 OVC). The Tigers (2-10, 2-0 OVC) are a combined 0-4 in the Music City, with an 0-2 record at Kean Hall. Their other two losses came against crosstown rivals Lipscomb and Belmont.  Four of their next five games will be played at Kean. 

"It's good to be home, but we need to defend our court," said TSU head coach Donika Sutton. "We had a good thing going when we played at home last year. I hope we can get on a roll."

Last season, Kean Hall was a tough place to play for opponents. The Tigers ended up with an 11-2 record at the friendly confines. Something will have to give as USI looks for their first road victory. TSU holds a 2-0 advantage in the series, winning both games in Evansville, Indiana last season.

The Murray State Racers is the only common opponent for both teams so far this year. Both teams fell to the Racers, with TSU losing in five sets and USI falling in straight sets.
 
Match 13: Southern Indiana (6-9, 2-2 OVC) at TSU (2-10, 2-0 OVC)
Date/Time: Friday, September 29 | 6 p.m. (CST)
Location: | Kean Hall, Nashville, Tennessee
Watch  Southern Indiana vs. Tennessee State (9/29/23) - Live Stream - Watch ESPN.
Live Stats
 
Match 14: Southern Indiana (6-9, 2-2 OVC) at TSU (2-10, 2-0 OVC)
Date/Time: Saturday, September 30 | 2 p.m. (CST)
Location: | Kean Hall, Nashville, Tennessee
Watch Southern Indiana vs. Tennessee State (9/30/23) - Live Stream - Watch ESPN.
Live Stats
 
Quick Hits:
 
OVC Streak Continues, Living on the Edge
The Tigers finished last season, winning the last five regular season games against OVC opponents. After sweeping the OVC postseason tournament with three five-set classics, TSU went to Tennessee Tech to sweep them in, yes, you guessed it, two five-set games. They are 12-1 in the last 13 games against OVC foes, with a ten-game winning streak.
 
Honorable Tigers
This week, two Tigers earned weekly honors. Senior middle Kennedy Davis was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week, and senior opposite Jayla Holcombe was named the Tennessee Sports Writers Volleyball Player of the Week.
 
Motivated Tigers
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.

Freshmen Digging
The top three players in digs for the Tigers are freshmen. Celianiz Cabranes leads the team with 218, while Alanys Otero and Jadyn Webb are tied with 58. The trio's efforts are needed while junior libero Hadley Pride recovers from injury.
 
Six Million Dollar Man Recruiting
After playing nationally ranked Stanford University in the regular season and Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament, Sutton vowed to add size and speed to her recruitment strategy. With the addition of tall and athletic transfers Erica Calderone (Indian Hills Community College), Jayla Holcombe (Murray State), and Hennesys Lalane (Indian Hills CC), there are now eight players at her disposal who are listed at 6'0 and above.

Defense Wins Championships
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.
 
The Prides of the Nashville Area
Junior libero Hadley Pride has some big shoes to fill in trying to replace the OVC all-time leader in digs, Gina Rivera-Ortiz. Pride, a graduate of Hillsboro High School in Nashville, and Storm White, who hails from Smyrna, Tennessee, are the only Nashville area players on the roster.

International Cuisine
Over the years, the Tigers have relied on an international approach to recruiting, so much that it isn't foreign (see what I did there) to hear music from other countries during pregame warmups. Grad student Aleksandra Rojecka (Poland) and senior Alondra Santana-Rodriguez (Puerto Rico) are holdovers from last year's team. Like Santana-Rodriguez, freshman duo Celianiz Cabranes and Alanys Otero are from Puerto Rico. Erica Calderone and Hennesys Lalane come to Big Blue Country from the Dominican Republic. Freshman Jadyn Webb has international experience playing for the US Virgin Islands.
 
THE TIGERS AT A GLANCE

• The Tigers are the defending OVC Tournament champions.
• Senior Kennedy Davis was the lone Tiger named to the Preseason All-OVC Team. She is this week's OVC Defensive Player of the Week. Davis is the OVC leader in blocks per set (1.15).
• TSU leads the OVC in blocks per set (2.45).
• Senior opposite Jayla Holcombe won the Tennessee Sports Writer's Player of the Week this week.
• Junior Hennesys Lalane and freshman Alanys Otero combined 96 assists on 11 sets in the two games against Tennessee Tech. Otero played only one set on Friday, while Lalane did not participate on Saturday.

 
 
SCOUTING THE TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES:

• The Screaming Eagles will be making their first trip to Kean Hall.
• Senior Leah Anderson has a chance to finish in the top five for the Screaming Eagle in three career categories. She is currently ranked second in aces, fourth in kills, and sixth in digs.
• Junior Carly Sobieralsky recorded her 1,000^th career assist earlier this season,
• Freshman Ellie Marbet is the lone Screaming Eagle from Tennessee. She played at Spring Hill High School and hails from Columbia.
• Three members of the USI team carry the last name Moonan. Twin freshmen, Jillian and Maeva play on the team, while their brother Connell, a sophomore, is a manager.

 
Up Next:
The Tigers will travel to Martin, Tennessee, to take on UT Martin on Tuesday, Oct. 3.