MEMPHIS, Tenn. ^__ The Tuskegee volleyball team wrapped up a competitive weekend in Memphis, going 1-2 at the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Cluster hosted by LeMoyne-Owen.

The Golden Tigers earned a dominant sweep over Edward Waters before falling in hard-fought matches to Benedict (3-1) and Fort Valley State (3-2). The Golden Tigers move to 10-8 overall and 4-7 in SIAC play.

Tuskegee 3, Edward Waters 0
Tuskegee opened the weekend in strong form on Friday morning, defeating Edward Waters in straight sets (25-21, 25-21, 25-14).

The Golden Tigers hit an impressive .337 as a team, led by Najwa Williams with 10 kills, eight digs, and five aces on a .450 clip. Zariah Messick added five kills, an ace, and 10 digs, along with five kills and two blocks from Gabriella Jones, while middle blocker Sian Sprinkle was also highly efficient with six kills on .417 hitting and four total blocks.
 
Mikea Allen and Sahnee Dillahunt-Nedd split setting duties, each recording 15 assists, while Jasmine Brantley anchored the defense with 12 digs and three aces.
 
Benedict 3, Tuskegee 1
Later that afternoon, Tuskegee fell to Benedict, 3-1 (16-25, 20-25, 25-18, 29-31), in one of the weekend's most tightly contested matches.
 
After dropping the first two sets, the Golden Tigers battled back to take the third 25-18 behind strong play led by a trio of players combining for six kills. Dillahunt-Nedd also had a strong set with four aces and five assists, while Brantley had five digs.
 
Despite forcing extra points in the fourth set, Tuskegee's late rally fell just short as Benedict closed the match 31-29. Jordyn Jones led the team with nine kills and six blocks, while the team recorded 41 kills and 37 assists in the match.

Fort Valley State 3, Tuskegee 2
The Golden Tigers closed the cluster on Saturday in a five-set battle against Fort Valley State, falling 3-2 (20-25, 25-22, 26-24, 14-25, 11-15).
 
The Golden Tigers dropped the opening set 25-20 before rallying with two strong frames to take a 2-1 lead. Tuskegee used balanced offense and timely defense to claim the second set 25-22 and the third 26-24.
 
After dropping the fourth set 25-14, Tuskegee battled to the end in the decisive fifth, pulling within 14-11 before Fort Valley sealed the win. As a team, the Golden Tigers totaled 49 kills, 24 blocks, and 79 digs, while hitting .081 overall.
 
Messick finished with a team-high 16 kills to go with nine digs, while Williams added 14 kills and 13 digs. Defensively, Brantley controlled the back line with 30 digs and six service aces, while Sprinkle added six kills and 12 total blocks in the match.
 
Up Next
Tuskegee returns home for their next two matches, starting with a conference meeting with Spring Hill in the Daniel "Chappie' James Center on Wednesday, October 15 at 6 p.m.

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