CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Tennessee State volleyball closed out its opening weekend with a pair of matches Saturday at the Chattanooga Classic. The Tigers faced UAB in the morning before returning to the court against Valparaiso in the tournament finale.
UAB 3, Tennessee State 0
Tennessee State opened Saturday against UAB, falling in three sets, 25-17, 25-18, 25-20.
Set One | The Tigers battled through a back-and-forth opening frame that featured six ties and four lead changes. TSU recorded eight kills before UAB created separation late to take the set, 25-17.
Set Two | Tennessee State remained within reach throughout the second set as the teams played through eight ties and four lead changes. The Tigers improved offensively with nine kills while hitting .147, but UAB pulled ahead down the stretch for a 25-18 decision.
Set Three | TSU put together its strongest offensive performance of the match in the third, totaling 15 kills with four errors on 34 attempts for a .324 hitting percentage. The Tigers continued to battle before UAB closed the match, 25-20.
Sydney Robinson led the Tigers with 10 kills on 25 attempts while hitting .240. She added nine digs, two service aces and two block assists for a team-high 13 points. Wiktoria Jakubik followed with seven kills on .250 hitting and three block assists.
Triniti Jackson finished with 23 assists, eight digs, three kills, two aces and two solo blocks. Jordan Imperial led the defensive effort with 12 digs and added an ace.
Valparaiso 3, Tennessee State 0
Tennessee State returned to the court Saturday afternoon to close the tournament against Valparaiso. The Tigers fell in three sets, 25-15, 25-19, 25-17.
Set One | TSU opened the match with 10 kills as the teams played through two ties and two lead changes. The Tigers stayed close early before Valparaiso pulled ahead for a 25-15 win.
Set Two | The Tigers continued to battle in the second frame, which featured four ties. TSU totaled nine kills before Valparaiso created separation and took the set, 25-19.
Set Three | Tennessee State posted its best hitting percentage of the match in the final set, recording nine kills with four errors on 30 attempts to hit .167. Valparaiso eventually closed out the frame, 25-17.
Jakubik led TSU offensively with seven kills and added a solo block. Gabriella Blevins turned in an efficient performance with five kills on nine attempts and just one error for a team-high .444 hitting percentage. She also added a solo block and a block assist.
Jackson directed the offense with 26 assists while adding seven digs, one ace and a block assist. Imperial led the Tigers with 12 digs, while Sydni Poston and Robinson each finished with nine.
Tennessee State will return to action next weekend when the Tigers travel to Cookeville, Tennessee, for the Golden Eagle Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
