Houston, Texas| The Jackson State volleyball team showed tremendous resilience and competitive Monday night, taking Texas Southern to five sets before narrowly falling 3–2 (23–25, 27–25, 25–20, 24–26, 14–16) at the Health & Physical Education Arena.

Despite the setback, Jackson State (3–11, 2–2 SWAC) battled through one of their most evenly matched contests of the season, trading momentum with the SWAC-leading Texas Southern squad (5–12, 4–0 SWAC) in a match that featured 30 ties and 10 lead changes.
 

How It Happened

Jackson State's offensive rhythm continued to build as the night went on, led by Jayden James, who delivered a match-high 23 kills, adding 11 digs and an ace for 24 points. Kyra Dove was outstanding at the net, hitting an efficient .643 with 9 kills and 4 total blocks. Makenzie Washington followed with 10 kills at a .409 clip, while Katejion Robinson added 11 kills to round out the balanced JSU attack.

Setters Karys Dove (29 assists, 10 digs) and Naija Gadis (25 assists, 5 digs) ran a smooth 6–2 system, distributing the offense across multiple scoring threats. Kymorah Carter anchored the back row with 15 digs, adding 3 aces from the service line to keep pressure on Texas Southern throughout the match.

As a team, Jackson State finished with 65 kills, 9 service aces, and 6 blocks, hitting .197 overall and totaling 80 points across five tightly contested sets.

JSU built early momentum in set one behind kills from Hope Briggs, Makenzie Washington, and Jayden James, taking a 17–13 lead midway through. However, Texas Southern closed on a late 5–1 run to edge the frame 25–23 despite Jackson State's .258 hitting percentage and 14 kills.

Jackson State bounced back with a composed and aggressive effort in Set 2. The JSU Tigers recorded four service aces — two from Maya Reeves and one each from Carter and Naija Gadis — and won a dramatic extra-point finish. Robinson and James combined for 10 kills in the set, while Kyra Dove closed it out with a late block to even the match at 1–1.

With momentum clearly in their favor, JSU turned in its most dominant frame of the night. The Tigers hit .224 with 18 kills and just 7 errors, highlighted by James' six kills and Washington's steady play on the outside. Carter added another ace and Jackson State's block began to frustrate Texas Southern's hitters, sealing the 25–20 win and a 2–1 match lead.

The fourth set was a back-and-forth battle that saw JSU rally from a 20–16 deficit to tie things late. Clutch kills from Washington, Robinson, and James pushed the score to 23–23 before TSU narrowly escaped with a 26–24 win. Jackson State posted three team blocks in the frame and forced eight Texas Southern attack errors.

Kyra Dove and James powered early kills as JSU took a 9–8 lead in the fifth set, but the hosts managed to close on a narrow two-point margin. Naija Gadis's service ace and Washington's late kill kept the set alive until Texas Southern clinched the 16–14 finish.

Up Next

The Tigers will host Alabama State in their home opener on Friday at the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center. First serve is set for 6 pm.

Follow Jackson State Athletics
For complete coverage of Jackson State athletics, follow the Tigers on social media at @GoJSUTigers (Instagram and X, formerly Twitter), Jackson State Tigers (Facebook), or visit the official home of Jackson State athletics at GoJSUTigers.com.