SALT LAKE CITY, UT --The Tennessee State volleyball team could not overcome a potent Utah Utes attack as they suffered a road loss in straight sets (20-25, 19-25, 16-25). The loss moved the Tiger record to 0-5 in the young season. TSU played it close in the first two sets, even managing a 14-10 lead in the first set. The Utes then went on a 7-1 run to take a 17-15 lead that they never gave up. In the second set, Utah's 9-1 run late in the set gave them a 22-14 lead that TSU could not come back from. Set three's 9-1 run by the Utes made the score 13-7, which virtually put the match away.
Senior Jayla Holcombe finished with nine kills on the day to lead the Tiger attack while finishing with a hitting percentage of .389. Junior Hennesys Lalane dished out 18 assists to support the TSU attack. On defense, the Tigers got a game-high 14 digs from Celianiz Cabranes, while Holcombe and Kennedy Davis tied for three block assists apiece.
Game Notes
» Celianiz Cabranes had a team-high two aces in the loss.
» Jayla Holcombe had a team-high nine kills for TSU.
» The Tigers got a match-high 14 digs from Cabranes.
» Tennessee State attackers were helped by a team-high 18 assists from Hennesys Lalane.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Tigers found themselves in an early hole, dropping the first set 25-20. Utah grabbed the advantage for good at 16-15 in a set that was tied up seven times before the Utes took over in the second half of the stanza. The Tigers struggled with four service errors in the set.
SET 2 | Tennessee State dropped the second set 25-19, digging a 2-0 hole in the match. The Tigers fell behind on the first point and fought from behind the rest of the way before dropping the set. Three more service errors hurt TSU.
SET 3 | Tennessee State couldn't prolong the match and lost in set number three, falling 25-16 to finish the match. Tennessee State trailed by as many as nine points as Utah grabbed the advantage for good at 7-6 in a set that was knotted up two times before the Utes took over the lead.
Up Next: TSU will take on San Francisco in their second match of the day.
