HOUSTON – The Lady Tigers of Texas Southern University held St. Thomas to a negative hitting percentage in sets three and four Tuesday to defeat the Celts three sets to one.
Scores of the match were 25-19, 16-25, 25-16, and 25-19.
At the Jerabeck Athletic Center on the campus of the University of St. Thomas, the Lady Tigers more than doubled their hosts' block total, as the visitors enjoyed a 15-7 advantage in total blocks. TSU's front line contributed 13 of their blocks after the mid-match break following set two.
Senior hitter Nicole Robinson knocked down 10 kills and participated in nine blocks (one solo, eight assisted) to lead the Lady Tigers (2-5) to their second win in three matches. Nia Stone tallied seven block assists, while Kirby Anderson chipped in five block assists in addition to seven kills and a .500 hitting percentage.
Alexis Austin led the TSU offense with 14 kills on 29 attempts while committing only two errors. Her .414 hitting percentage marked the second time in four days that she hit better than .400 in a match.
TSU setter Asia Howard handed out 19 assists, followed by Ellena Torres with 11 assists, and Alyssa Chuidian with eight assists to go along with seven digs. Howard also hit .444, tallying four kills on nine attempts.
Valencia Grayson led the defensive effort with 13 digs in addition to serving three aces in the match. Cassidy Jannson tallied 11 digs for the Lady Tigers.
Bresha Orange led the Celts (5-6) with 11 kills and 17 digs.
After losing the second set to the Celts (and the match lead), the Lady Tigers pulled away from their NAIA hosts in set three with seven consecutive points – all attacking errors – to build an 18-8 lead. Four of those errors came on assisted blocks by Stone and Robinson.
In set four, the Lady Tigers led early before the Celts scored five unanswered points to take a 15-14 lead. French national Sophie Rigaut served three of her four aces during that stretch; she also tallied five total blocks against the Lady Tigers.
The Lady Tigers were able to regroup and score nine of the next 12 points to establish a 23-14 lead. After a cold start to the match, Eboni Mitchell led the Lady Tigers back into the lead with two kills and two total blocks during the run.
TSU held St. Thomas to a hitting percentage of minus-.203 (11 kills and 23 errors on 59 attempts) in sets three and four.
A total of 17 different players saw the court for the Lady Tigers on Tuesday. As St. Thomas is an NAIA member institution, and NAIA volleyball teams are allowed unlimited substitutions (compared to 15 substitutions per set in NCAA matches), head coach Jocelyn Adams was able to try several different lineups and rotations against the Celts.
The Lady Tigers open their home schedule this weekend when they host the Southwestern Athletic Conference Roundup at TSU's H&PE Arena. All 10 SWAC teams will be in Houston, with each West Division team playing each East Division team over the course of the weekend.
TSU opens the roundup Friday at 10 a.m. when the Lady Tigers host Alcorn State. The Lady Tigers will conclude the day with Alabama A&M at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Courtesy: TSU Athletics
Scores of the match were 25-19, 16-25, 25-16, and 25-19.
At the Jerabeck Athletic Center on the campus of the University of St. Thomas, the Lady Tigers more than doubled their hosts' block total, as the visitors enjoyed a 15-7 advantage in total blocks. TSU's front line contributed 13 of their blocks after the mid-match break following set two.
Senior hitter Nicole Robinson knocked down 10 kills and participated in nine blocks (one solo, eight assisted) to lead the Lady Tigers (2-5) to their second win in three matches. Nia Stone tallied seven block assists, while Kirby Anderson chipped in five block assists in addition to seven kills and a .500 hitting percentage.
Alexis Austin led the TSU offense with 14 kills on 29 attempts while committing only two errors. Her .414 hitting percentage marked the second time in four days that she hit better than .400 in a match.
TSU setter Asia Howard handed out 19 assists, followed by Ellena Torres with 11 assists, and Alyssa Chuidian with eight assists to go along with seven digs. Howard also hit .444, tallying four kills on nine attempts.
Valencia Grayson led the defensive effort with 13 digs in addition to serving three aces in the match. Cassidy Jannson tallied 11 digs for the Lady Tigers.
Bresha Orange led the Celts (5-6) with 11 kills and 17 digs.
After losing the second set to the Celts (and the match lead), the Lady Tigers pulled away from their NAIA hosts in set three with seven consecutive points – all attacking errors – to build an 18-8 lead. Four of those errors came on assisted blocks by Stone and Robinson.
In set four, the Lady Tigers led early before the Celts scored five unanswered points to take a 15-14 lead. French national Sophie Rigaut served three of her four aces during that stretch; she also tallied five total blocks against the Lady Tigers.
The Lady Tigers were able to regroup and score nine of the next 12 points to establish a 23-14 lead. After a cold start to the match, Eboni Mitchell led the Lady Tigers back into the lead with two kills and two total blocks during the run.
TSU held St. Thomas to a hitting percentage of minus-.203 (11 kills and 23 errors on 59 attempts) in sets three and four.
A total of 17 different players saw the court for the Lady Tigers on Tuesday. As St. Thomas is an NAIA member institution, and NAIA volleyball teams are allowed unlimited substitutions (compared to 15 substitutions per set in NCAA matches), head coach Jocelyn Adams was able to try several different lineups and rotations against the Celts.
The Lady Tigers open their home schedule this weekend when they host the Southwestern Athletic Conference Roundup at TSU's H&PE Arena. All 10 SWAC teams will be in Houston, with each West Division team playing each East Division team over the course of the weekend.
TSU opens the roundup Friday at 10 a.m. when the Lady Tigers host Alcorn State. The Lady Tigers will conclude the day with Alabama A&M at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Courtesy: TSU Athletics