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Tuskegee played its final home match on Thursday evening at the Daniel "Chappie" James Center against Miles with an opportunity to highlight a successful first campaign under head coach Rene Crockett and make a move in the standings against the rival Lady Bears.
But after splitting the first two sets, the Golden Tigers were unable to come out with a victory, falling in four sets to Miles (25–15, 17–25, 25–19, 25–11), which has now taken three straight matches in this in-state rivalry.Â
The Golden Tigers (responded from an opening-set loss with a strong second-set performance but were unable to sustain their momentum against the Lady Bears . Miles secured the match by taking the final two sets.
After dropping the opening set, Tuskegee (18–11, 12–5 SIAC) found its rhythm in the second set. Trailing early by four points, the Golden Tigers scored 10 consecutive points to take control. Breonna Smith had two kills and a block during the run, which was highlighted by five Miles errors and gave TU an 11-5 advantage. During the set, the Golden Tigers recorded 12 kills and hit .268 before closing out the set with a service ace from Sakiah Logan.
Unfortunately, things did not get much better from there for Tuskegee. Down by a point late in the third set, three consecutive errors were part of a five-point run that gave the Lady Bears a 23-17 lead. The Golden Tigers saw their errors rise and hitting percentage drop over the final two sets, including a negative mark in the final set where Miles (23–7, 14–2 SIAC) scored the final seven points of the match.
Carmyn Lawson and Tamara Cooper led Tuskegee offensively with seven kills apiece, while Helena Pommeret added six kills. Ta'Mya Hicks paced the offense with 17 assists, helping the Golden Tigers produce 34 kills during the contest. Helena Pommeret and Smith each recorded four block assists to lead Tuskegee at the net. Pommeret also contributed two service aces, while Logan led the defensive effort with nine digs.
The Golden Tigers will look for revenge on Oct. 30 when they travel to face Miles in Fairfield, Ala. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
