NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee State volleyball opens its Ohio Valley Conference road slate this weekend with two matches at SIUE. The Tigers face the Cougars Friday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m. CT before returning Saturday, Oct. 10, at 3 p.m. CT at First Community Arena in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Live statistics and streaming links for both matches are available on the volleyball schedule page at TSUTigers.com.

FIRST SERVE: Tennessee State enters the weekend 0-13 overall and 0-2 in the OVC after opening conference play against Western Illinois at Kean Hall. The Tigers produced stretches of efficient offense during the series, recording 17 kills on .400 hitting in Friday's second set and 17 kills on .350 hitting in Saturday's second frame. SIUE enters 3-13 overall and 1-3 in conference play following two straight-set losses at Southeast Missouri.

ROAD TEST: The SIUE series begins a four-match road stretch for Tennessee State. The Tigers continue to Eastern Illinois Oct. 15–16 before returning to Kean Hall Oct. 23–24 against Morehead State for Dig Pink.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS: SIUE is 3-2 at First Community Arena, with home victories over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Chicago State and UT Martin. Under head coach Kendall Paulus, the Cougars enter the weekend hitting .179 and averaging 1.75 service aces per set. Sophie Robinson leads the offense with 134 kills, followed by Kennedy Pike with 127. Paige Bernstein has 289 assists, while Ally Hughes has 258. Kinley Quast leads SIUE with 154 digs and 20 aces, and Vienna Elliott has a team-high 35 blocks.

SERIES INFORMATION: SIUE holds a 12-9 advantage in the all-time series and won both meetings in Nashville last season. Tennessee State's most recent victory came Oct. 12, 2024, when the Tigers earned a five-set win at Kean Hall.

LAST MEETING: The Cougars won 29-27, 25-21, 25-11 on Sept. 27, 2025, after taking the series opener in straight sets the previous night.

OFFENSIVE SPARK: Tennessee State opened its conference schedule with a 25-22 first-set victory over Western Illinois before falling in four sets. The Tigers finished with 49 kills and a .233 hitting percentage. Wiktoria Jakubik led TSU with 17 kills on .325 hitting, Sydney Robinson added 13 kills, and Brie Blevins recorded six kills on 11 error-free attempts.

SATURDAY RESPONSE: Robinson and Gabrielle Washington shared the team lead with eight kills in the WIU finale. Washington hit .385 and added two blocks, while Jordan Imperial collected 15 digs. TSU finished with 34 kills and 48 digs in the straight-set loss.

JAKUBIK SETS THE PACE: Senior Wiktoria Jakubik leads Tennessee State with 118 kills, averaging 2.74 per set, and 135 points. She totaled 24 kills against Western Illinois and has recorded four double-digit kill performances this season. Jakubik earned Golden Eagle Invitational All-Tournament honors and posted a career-high 18 kills against Evansville on Sept. 10.

ROBINSON REACHES 100: Senior Sydney Robinson surpassed 100 kills during the WIU series and enters the weekend with 101. She ranks second on the team in kills and points while contributing 60 digs and six aces. Robinson recorded her first collegiate double-double against Evansville on Sept. 10 with 12 kills and 13 digs.

WASHINGTON AT THE NET: Junior Gabrielle Washington leads the Tigers with 34 blocks and a .317 hitting percentage. She has recorded 59 kills across 35 sets and contributed five blocks during the WIU series. Washington's eight kills in Saturday's finale marked her third match this season with at least eight.

JACKSON DIRECTS TRAFFIC: Freshman Triniti Jackson matched her season high with 36 assists and added 10 digs in Friday's OVC opener for her second collegiate double-double. She enters the SIUE series with 295 assists, averaging 6.86 per set, along with 98 digs and 39 kills. Jackson earned OVC Co-Rookie of the Week honors Sept. 14.

IMPERIAL ANCHORS THE BACK ROW: Junior libero Jordan Imperial collected 29 digs across the WIU series, recording 14 Friday and 15 Saturday. She leads TSU with 143 digs, averaging 3.33 per set, and has appeared in all 43 sets.

POSTON FROM THE SERVICE LINE: Senior Sydni Poston served three aces in the WIU opener, bringing her season total to 11 and tying Imperial for the team lead. Poston ranks third on the team with 82 digs and has appeared in every set this season.

UP NEXT: Tennessee State visits Eastern Illinois on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 6 p.m. CT and Friday, Oct. 16, at 4 p.m. CT.