TSU Volleyball Wraps Home Stand Dropping Match to Austin Peay

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Julia Pierson posted a match-high 19 kills as the Tennessee State volleyball team dropped its match to conference-leaders Austin Peay 3-1 (25-19, 25-22, 22-25, 25-16), Saturday afternoon in Kean Hall.

Austin Peay improves to 17-3, 7-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference, while the Tigers drop to 7-12 overall, 5-3 in the league.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Julia Pierson led the match in kills with 19, and added 16 digs to record her seventh double-double of the season.
• Laken Te’o finished the afternoon with 45 assists, and added 11 digs to post her 10th double-double of the season.
• Four Tigers posted double-digit digs, led by freshman libero Gina Rivera Ortiz.
• Both the Govs and TSU registered 10 blocks. Hinalei Fihaki posted a match-high seven.

BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Tigers had slow starts in the first two sets of the match. APSU held the lead with a powerful offense, committing only three errors in the first set, and combining for a team .207 attack percentage in the second, despite TSU rejecting six attack attempts. JUCO transfer Khalia Jordan finished the set with two blocks, one solo, and TSU’s blocking-leader Hinalei Fihaki came up with three, one solo.

With late pushes, the Big Blue could not outlast the Govs’ efforts as the red and black took set one, 25-19 and two, 25-22.

Austin Peay opened the third set with six uncontested points, putting a sweep in its sights. Late in the set with the Govs up 20-15, TSU went on a 9-0 run, taking the lead. A kill by Pierson finished off the set for Big Blue, 25-22.

The momentum of the last set was lost as the Tigers sunk to a 11-4 deficit early in the fourth. APSU held the Tigers to a .029 attack percentage on nine kills as TSU’s defense continued to decline. The conference-leaders finished the set 25-16 with three service aces, four blocks and 13 kills with only 3 errors.

MATCH NOTES

• The Govs improve to 47-10 in the all-time series against the Tigers.
• The team honored fellow Tiger Christion Abercrombie, who sustained an injury at last weekend's football game versus Vanderbilt and remains in critical condition, at the start of the match.

UP NEXT

TSU hits the road for a slew of matches away from Kean Hall. The first stop will be at UT Martin, Friday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m.

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY TIGERS ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS