NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee State volleyball closes a four-match road swing this week with an Ohio Valley Conference series at Eastern Illinois. The Tigers face the Panthers Thursday, Oct. 15, at 6 p.m. CT before returning Friday, Oct. 16, at 4 p.m. CT in Charleston, Illinois.

Both matches will stream on ESPN+, with live statistics and coverage links available on the volleyball schedule page at TSUTigers.com.

FIRST SERVE: Tennessee State enters the series 0-15 overall and 0-4 in conference play after visiting SIUE last weekend. Gabrielle Washington led the Tigers with 18 kills on .548 hitting across the two matches, while Brie Blevins recorded seven blocks. Eastern Illinois enters 3-14 overall and 2-4 in the OVC after splitting its series at UT Martin.

ROAD STRETCH: The EIU series completes four consecutive road matches for Tennessee State. The Tigers return to Kean Hall Oct. 23–24 to host Morehead State for Dig Pink, with first serve scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS: Second-year head coach Ryan Millar leads Eastern Illinois after guiding the Panthers to the 2025 OVC regular-season and tournament championships. EIU snapped a four-match losing streak with a straight-set victory at UT Martin on Oct. 10. Katie Kopshever leads the Panthers with 215 kills and 17 service aces, while Peyton Castillo has 252 assists. Ariadna Pereles leads the back row with 244 digs, and Emma Hanson has a team-high 40 blocks. The Panthers enter the series hitting .168.

SERIES INFORMATION: Eastern Illinois holds a 24-14 advantage in the all-time series and has won the past three meetings. Tennessee State's most recent victory came Nov. 19, 2024, when the Tigers swept the Panthers in Charleston.

LAST MEETING: Tennessee State took the second set before falling 15-25, 28-26, 15-25, 13-25 against Eastern Illinois at Kean Hall on Nov. 8, 2025. The Panthers also won the previous night in straight sets.

WASHINGTON FINDS HER RHYTHM: Junior Gabrielle Washington recorded five kills on .500 hitting in the SIUE opener before delivering 13 kills on .522 hitting in the finale. She leads TSU with a .358 hitting percentage and 38 blocks, averaging 0.93 per set. Washington has totaled 77 kills this season and leads the Tigers in conference play with 29 kills and a .434 hitting percentage.

BLEVINS BUILDS THE BLOCK: Junior Brie Blevins contributed seven blocks at SIUE, including five solo stops. She recorded five blocks in the opener and added two in the finale while totaling five kills on .400 hitting across the series. Blevins ranks second on the team with 28 blocks and leads TSU with 10 solo stops.

JAKUBIK LEADS THE ATTACK: Senior Wiktoria Jakubik leads Tennessee State with 123 kills, averaging 2.51 per set, and 142 points. She has added 45 digs and 27 blocks while starting all 15 matches. Jakubik earned Golden Eagle Invitational All-Tournament honors and recorded a career-high 18 kills against Evansville on Sept. 10.

ROBINSON CONTRIBUTES ON BOTH SIDES: Senior Sydney Robinson ranks second on the team with 108 kills and 120 points while contributing 69 digs and eight service aces. She recorded five kills and six digs in the SIUE opener and served an ace in each match. Robinson posted her first collegiate double-double against Evansville on Sept. 10 with 12 kills and 13 digs.

JACKSON DIRECTS THE OFFENSE: Freshman Triniti Jackson has recorded 319 assists, averaging 6.51 per set, and ranks second on the team with 107 digs. She has added 41 kills, eight aces and 15 blocks while starting every match. The Sept. 14 OVC Co-Rookie of the Week recorded 12 assists in each match at SIUE.

IMPERIAL ANCHORS THE BACK ROW: Junior libero Jordan Imperial leads Tennessee State with 167 digs, averaging 3.41 per set, and 13 service aces. She collected 24 digs at SIUE, including 15 in the finale, and served an ace in each match. Imperial has recorded 53 digs in conference play, averaging 4.08 per set.

CARTER ADDS OPTIONS: Sophomore Italya Carter totaled 14 assists and three aces at SIUE, including nine assists in the finale. She enters the EIU series with 44 assists, 49 digs and five aces across 14 appearances.

POSTON PROVIDES EXPERIENCE: Senior Sydni Poston has appeared in all 49 sets and ranks third on the team with 88 digs. She ranks second with 11 service aces and has contributed 20 assists. Poston collected three digs in each SIUE match.

UP NEXT: Tennessee State returns home for Dig Pink against Morehead State on Friday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m. CT and Saturday, Oct. 24, at noon CT.