NASHVILLE – Head coach Donika Sutton collected her 100th career victory Friday as Tennessee State split its matches at the Belmont Invitational. The Tigers fell to Nicholls State in three sets before defeating Arkansas-Pine Bluff in four.
Nicholls State 3, Tennessee State 0 (27-29, 11-25, 16-25)
TSU dropped a close first set before Nicholls State pulled away for a sweep.
I'Onna Jones led the Tigers with eight kills, while Sagaia Reilly tallied 17 assists and 10 digs. Julia Culpepper added an ace.
The loss dropped the Tigers to 0-4.
Tennessee State 3, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 1 (25-15, 25-17, 24-26, 25-16)
The Tigers responded in the night match, securing their first win of the season and Sutton's milestone.
Aliyah Harris finished with 16 kills on .393 hitting. Carsyn Stansberry added 12 kills and two aces, and Jones recorded 11 kills. Sydni Poston led with 17 digs, while Reilly posted 43 assists and 12 digs. Mikayla Moore chipped in six blocks.
Scoring Drives:
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Set 1: With the score tied at 3, TSU went on a four-point run capped by a Jones kill to take control and later used a five-point stretch to pull away in a 25-15 win.
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Set 2: The Tigers built an early 5-2 lead behind kills from Jones and Harris and held momentum throughout, closing the set 25-17.
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Set 3: UAPB battled back in a back-and-forth frame. Tied at 24, the Lions capitalized on a TSU error to take it 26-24.
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Set 4: Tennessee State answered with its most dominant stretch of the match, using a 6-0 run capped by a Stansberry kill to extend the lead to 24-15 before finishing the set 25-16.
The victory improved the Tigers to 1-4 on the year.
Up Next
Tennessee State will return to the courts tomorrow to wrap up the Belmont Invitational as they take on the Bruins at 5 pm.
