MOBILE, Ala. – The Tuskegee Golden Tigers volleyball team showed resilience on Friday, October 4, during the SIAC West Cluster held at Arthur R. Outlaw Recreation Center.
The Golden Tigers played in two tough matches, coming away with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Central State before narrowly falling to Kentucky State 3-2 later in the day.
Tuskegee 3, Central State 2
Tuskegee started the day with a thrilling 3-2 win over Central State, claiming victory in a five-set marathon (19-25, 25-18, 25-23, 24-26, 18-16).
The Golden Tigers displayed a balanced attack in the game, finishing with four players with double figure kills.
The match was closely contested, with both teams trading leads. After dropping the first and third sets, Tuskegee responded in sets four and five, displaying mental toughness and energy to finish off the Marauders in the final set, 15-12.
Lauren Canady led the way with a season-high 15 kills and nine digs, while
Ma'Kayla Jones added 10 kills on a .524 hitting percentage and added six total blocks, and
Kayla Coleman also recorded a season-high with 12 kills.
Moriah Seay also contributed heavily, finishing with a near double-double at 10 kills, eight digs, and chipping in three block assists, while setter
Mikea Allen dished out 45 assists in a commanding display of playmaking.
Tuskegee dominated defensively, racking up a total of 13 blocks and 68 digs. The team recorded 10 service aces, with Allen, Canady,
Amara Dotson, and
Chloe Edwards serving up two aces each.
Kentucky State 3, Tuskegee 2
In the second match of the day, Tuskegee faced off against Kentucky State in another intense five-set battle.
The Golden Tigers fell just short, losing 3-2 (25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 22-25, 12-15). Tuskegee put up a strong fight, led again by Seay, who recorded a double-double with 19 kills on 66 attempts, hitting at a .182 clip along with 18 digs.
Despite their offensive efforts, Kentucky State's defense proved difficult to break through, and Tuskegee ultimately came up short in the decisive fifth set.
Jones also recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 11 total blocks (seven solos), while
Sian Sprinkle contributed eight kills and seven blocks, both continuing their all-around impact on both ends of the court.
Canady also was pivotal in defense, securing 27 digs, while
Chloe Edwards added 18 digs, providing stability as the team's libero, while Dotson and
Ziniah Hardy added 13 and 11 digs respectively. Dotson also had a strong passing game, facilitating the offense with 51 assists as Tuskegee accumulated 55 kills as a team.
Up Next
Tuskegee now holds a record of 5-6 overall and 2-4 in SIAC play. The team will continue SIAC West Cluster action tomorrow with matches against LeMoyne-Owen at 11:30 a.m. and Lane at 2 p.m. to close out the weekend.
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www.goldentigersports.com.
