NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee State put together one of its strongest offensive stretches of the season Friday night, opening its OVC home slate with a first-set victory before falling to Western Illinois in four sets (25-22, 21-25, 16-25, 18-25) inside Kean Hall.
The Tigers finished the night with 49 kills while hitting .233, highlighted by an impressive opening two sets in which TSU combined for 31 kills and hit .318. Tennessee State hit .400 in the second set alone, its best offensive percentage of the match. 20261002083535-228133
Wiktoria Jakubik continued to lead the Tiger attack with a match-high 17 kills on a .325 hitting percentage. Sydney Robinson added 13 kills, while Gabriella Blevins was highly efficient in the middle, putting away six kills on 11 swings without an attack error to hit .545. 20261002083535-228133
Tigers Set the Tone Early
Tennessee State established itself from the opening serve, recording 14 kills in the first set while limiting Western Illinois to a .086 hitting percentage.
With the teams battling through five ties and three lead changes, TSU stayed composed down the stretch and secured the 25-22 win to take a 1-0 match lead. 20261002083535-228133 20261002083535-228133
Offense Keeps Rolling
The Tigers turned in their best offensive set of the night in the second.
TSU totaled 17 kills on just 30 attempts, hitting .400 in a back-and-forth frame that featured seven ties and four lead changes. Western Illinois ultimately edged the Tigers 25-21 to even the match, but TSU entered the break having produced 31 kills through the opening two sets. 20261002083535-228133
Western Illinois Pulls Ahead
The Leathernecks found separation in the third set after two tightly contested opening frames. Western Illinois took the third 25-16 before closing the match with a 25-18 fourth-set victory. 20261002083535-228133
Despite the result, Tennessee State received production throughout its lineup. Triniti Jackson posted a double-double with 36 assists and 10 digs while also adding four kills and a service ace. Jordan Imperial anchored the defense with a team-high 14 digs, and Sydni Poston delivered three service aces. 20261002083535-228133
At the net, the Tigers totaled 12 block assists, with Jakubik and Gabrielle Washington contributing three apiece. TSU also finished with four service aces and 50 digs. 20261002083535-228133
The Tigers will have an immediate opportunity to respond when they return to Kean Hall Saturday at 2 p.m. for the series finale against Western Illinois.
