TUSKEGEE, Ala. – Tuskegee volleyball dropped a pair of games on Saturday in the LaGrange tri-match, falling to against Tennessee Wesleyan, 3-0, before losing a 3-1 contest to host LaGrange to close the day at Richter Gymnasium.
 
TENNESSEE WESLEYAN 3, TUSKEGEE 0
The Golden Tigers struggled offensively in the opening match of the day, with a hitting percentage of -.026 in the first set and only improving to .095 by the third set.
 
Despite efforts from standout players like seniors Ma'kayla Jones and Moriah Seay, who both finished with four kills, Tuskegee was unable to gain momentum throughout the match.
 
In the first set, Tennessee Wesleyan controlled the pace, winning 25-13. Tuskegee's errors, both in attack and reception, contributed to the score gap. The second set saw more of the same struggles, as the Golden Tigers couldn't handle the Bulldogs' aggressive serves and sharp kills, leading to a 25-24 loss in the set.
 
In the final set, Tuskegee showed some resilience, closing the score gap to 26-24 but ultimately fell short. Their performance was marked by a higher number of errors, particularly attack and service errors, which allowed the Bulldogs to capitalize and secure the win.
 
Sophomore Sian Sprinkle led the way in the first game of the day for TU with six kills and a block, while four other Golden Tigers earned multiple kills. Defensively, Kiana Wilcher and Seay led the way with nine digs each.
 
LAGRANGE 3, TUSKEGEE 1
The Golden Tigers came out stronger in the second match before falling to LaGrange in four sets. TU showed strong moments throughout the match, especially in the first set, but couldn't maintain it in the later sets.
 
Tuskegee won the first set 25-18, with led by a balanced attack, as Lauren Canady, Jones, and Seay all earned multiple kills. The Tigers executed well in their serve-receive game and made timely points, showing strong offensive coordination. Jones later finished the match with a .600 hitting percentage, while Canady finished at .389.
 
However, LaGrange came back strong in the subsequent sets, winning the second set 25-20 and continuing their dominance in the third and fourth sets, which they claimed 25-22 and 25-22, respectively.
 
Despite valiant efforts from Seay and Trinity Winningham, who also provided crucial defensive blocks and kills, Tuskegee struggled with consistency in the latter half of the match, leading to their downfall. A combination of attack errors and a lower hitting percentage in the final sets contributed to the loss.
 
Jones finished with 16 kills in the match, followed by Seay with 14. Mikea Allen finished the game with a team-high 23 assists along with eight digs, while fellow setter Amara Dotson recorded 20 assists and four digs on the day. Meanwhile, Chloe Edwards earned a game-high 15 digs, followed by Canady and Seay both with nine.
 
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