Tennessee State Volleyball defeats Morehead State in opening round of OVC Tourney

Courtesy of Scott Wallace, Tennessee State Athletics

3

 Tennessee St. 17-15,10-8 OVC

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Morehead St. 14-16,10-8 OVC

MARTIN, TN – Gabrielle Johnson notched 11 kills with a .500 attack percentage and a number of her teammates recorded season highs to help lead the Tennessee State Tiger volleyball team to a five-set victory (26-24, 25-23, 23-25, 24-26, 15-9) against the Morehead State Eagles Thursday at Skyhawk Fieldhouse in round one of the OVC Volleyball Championship Tournament. The victory improved Tennessee State’s overall record to 17-15 on the season and moves them to the second round of the tournament.

The Tigers were led by a double-double from Kennedy Davis, who registered 11 kills and 11 blocks (season-high) on the day. Johanna Alcantara also added 19 kills to help the attack. Sofia Garcia-Guerrios also had a double-double of 46 assists (season-high) and 18 digs (season-high). She chipped in with five kills (season-high). On the defensive end, Gina Rivera-Ortiz scooped up 25 digs and Carla Boudal had 13 (season-high) to go with nine blocks (season-high) from Aleksandra Rojecka.

Game Notes

» TSU had three players in double figures in kills.
» TSU had three players in double figures in digs.
» Gabrielle Johnson was efficient in attacking situations in the match, accumulating 11 kills while hitting .500.
» Gabrielle Johnson had a team-high one ace in the win.
» Kennedy Davis had a match-high 11 blocks.
» Kennedy Davis registered a double-double with 11 kills and 11 blocks
» Johanna Alcantara had a match-high 19 kills for Tennessee State.
» The Tigers got a match-high 25 digs from Gina Rivera-Ortiz.
» TSU attackers were helped by a team-high 46 assists from Sofia Garcia-Guerrios.

How It Happened

SET 1 | The Tigers came out on top of a tight first set, winning 26-24 in a stanza that was tied five times and had two lead changes. got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked seven Morehead State attacks in the stanza.

SET 2 | The Tigers built on a set-one win by earning a 25-23 victory in set two. TSU grabbed control of the set lead early on at 2-1 and never looked back. Tennessee State led by as many as six points at 16-10 before finishing off the set. Tennessee State’s front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Morehead State attacks in the stanza and capitalizing on 11 Morehead State attacking errors on the way to victory.

SET 3 | TSU saw its bid for a 3-0 sweep end when Morehead State took the third set. The Tigers fell in a back-and-forth battle, losing 25-23 in a set that featured three lead changes and was tied 14 times. Neither team had a lead of more than three points along the way.

SET 4 | TSU then dropped their second straight set 26-24 to bring the match level to two sets apiece. The Tigers fell in a back-and-forth set, losing in a stanza that featured three lead changes and was tied 15 times. Neither team opened up a lead of more than two points along the way.

SET 5 | TSU needed five sets to win the match. After they grabbed a two-sets-to-none lead, Morehead State responded to take the third and fourth sets before the Tigers finished off their victory with a 15-9 fifth-set win. The Tigers took the fifth set with the help of a strong performance on the attacking end. Tennessee State registered a .421 attack percentage with nine kills in the set win. The Lady Tigers ended on a strong note, stretching their lead to its largest point in the set to finish out the stanza.

TSU will be back in action tomorrow afternoon in the semifinals of the OVC tournament against seventh-seeded Lindenwood at 3:00 p.m. 

Next Match:
vs. Lindenwood
11/18/2022 | 3:00 P.M.
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