NASHVILLE — The Tennessee State volleyball team secured its first win of the season against Mississippi Valley State (3-1) in the Tiger Invitational on Friday afternoon. In the nightcap, the Tigers fell to Georgia State (3-1).
GAME 1: TSU vs. Mississippi Valley State
The Tennessee State volleyball team got the job done in four sets (25-17, 25-16, 24-26, 25-11, 25-11) to beat the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devilettes Friday at home at Kean Hall Gymnasium.
The non-conference win moved the Lady Tigers' overall record to 1-5 on the season.
The Lady Tigers attack was paced by Jayla Holcombe, who finished with 16 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .379, and by Celestial Miller, who had 13 while hitting .31. got 10 digs from Hadley Pride along with nine blocks from Maygan Miller-Garcia and five rejections from Alizaysha Sopi to lead them defensively.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Lady Tigers took the first set 25-17 thanks to a strong showing on the attacking side. Tennessee State registered a .320 attack percentage with 13 kills in the set victory. The Lady Tigers ended on a strong note, stretching their lead to its largest point in the set to finish out the stanza. got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked four Mississippi Valley State attacks in the stanza.
SET 2 | After their win in the first set, Tennessee State put themselves on the cusp of a sweep with a 25-16 victory in set number two. The Lady Tigers never trailed by more than five points and grabbed the advantage for good at 10-9 in a set that featured eight ties and six lead changes. The Tennessee State offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza.
SET 3 | Tennessee State couldn't finish off the sweep, losing set three to make their lead two sets to one in the match. The Lady Tigers fell in a close set, losing 26-24 in a stanza that was tied seven times and had four lead changes.
SET 4 | Tennessee State then responded to end the match with a 25-11 set-four victory. The Lady Tigers led from the opening point on in the set to secure the victory. Tennessee State finished up the stanza on a strong note, claiming its biggest lead, 14 points, to close out the set.
Game Notes
» Storm White had a match-high two aces in the win.
» Maygan Miller-Garcia had a match-high nine blocks.
» Tennessee State never trailed on the way to winning the fourth set 25-11.
» Jayla Holcombe had a team-high 16 kills for Tennessee State.
» Tennessee State got a match-high 10 digs from Hadley Pride.
» Tennessee State attackers were helped by a match-high 28 assists from Janke Pretorius.
GAME 2: TSU vs. Georgia State
The Lady Tigers were led by a double-double from Celestial Miller, who registered 15 kills and 13 digs on the day. Jayla Holcombe also added 13 kills to help the offense. On the defensive end, Hadley Pride chipped in for with 22 digs to go with six blocks from Storm White.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Lady Tigers found themselves in an early deficit, losing a tough first set 25-16. Tennessee State trailed by as many as nine points as Georgia State never surrendered the lead in a set that was tied up two times before the Panthers took control.
SET 2 | Tennessee State evened the match at 1-1 with a 25-10 victory in the second set. The Lady Tigers took control of the set lead early on at 2-1 and held the lead the rest of the way. Tennessee State opened its biggest lead of the stanza, 15 points, to close out the set. The Tennessee State offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza. Tennessee State's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking six Georgia State attacks in the stanza.
SET 3 | Georgia State went up 2-1 after taking down the Lady Tigers in the third set. The Lady Tigers fell in a tough set 25-18. Tennessee State trailed by as many as nine points as Georgia State grabbed the advantage for good at 8-7 in a set that was knotted up seven times before the Panthers took over the lead.
SET 4 | Tennessee State then lost the fourth set 25-22 to finish off the match. The Lady Tigers came up short in a back-and-forth set, losing in a stanza that featured four lead changes and was tied nine times. Neither team opened up a lead of more than four points along the way.
Game Notes
» Tennessee State had three players in double figures in digs.
» Alizaysha Sopi had a team-high two aces in the loss.
» Celestial Miller registered a double-double with 15 kills and 13 digs
» Celestial Miller had a match-high 15 kills for Tennessee State.
» Tennessee State got a match-high 22 digs from Hadley Pride.
» Tennessee State attackers were helped by a team-high 21 assists from Sagaia Reilly.
UP NEXT
» TSU will face South Carolina State on Saturday at 9 AM.
» TSU will conclude the Tiger Invitational in the weekend finale vs. Bethune-Cookman at 6 PM.
