JACKSON, Miss. | Jackson State put together a strong third-set response and had multiple players turn in productive performances Friday night, but the Tigers ultimately fell to Bethune-Cookman, 3-1, in Southwestern Athletic Conference action inside the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center.
The loss moved Jackson State to 7-10 overall and 3-1 in SWAC play. The Tigers finished the night with 47 kills, 46 assists, nine service aces, 62 digs and seven total blocks.
Jackson State battled from the opening serve, pushing Bethune-Cookman throughout a tightly contested first set before falling 26-24. The Tigers continued to battle in the second but dropped the frame 25-19 to head into the break trailing by two sets.
Facing a must-win situation, Jackson State responded with its best offensive performance of the match in the third.
The Tigers recorded 14 kills with just four attacking errors on 29 attempts, producing a match-best .345 hitting percentage in the frame. The offensive surge helped Jackson State capture the third set, 25-21, and extend the match.
The Tigers continued to challenge the Wildcats in the fourth set, but Bethune-Cookman was able to close out the match with a 25-22 decision. Jackson State's four-set scoring totals were 24, 19, 25 and 22 points.
Hope Briggs led Jackson State's attack with 12 kills while hitting .308 on 26 attempts. Kyra Dove delivered an efficient performance in the middle, finishing with 10 kills on 18 swings for a .333 hitting percentage. Dove also made her presence felt defensively at the net with two solo blocks and three block assists, finishing with a team-high 13.5 points.
Shelby Zanders was another bright spot for the Tigers, putting down seven kills with only two errors on 11 attempts to finish with a team-best .455 hitting percentage. Zanders added a service ace and a solo block to account for nine points.
Jackson State also created pressure from the service line throughout the night. Parker Featherstone led the Tigers with four service aces without committing a service error and added 10 digs. Sophia McKenzie chipped in three aces as Jackson State finished with nine aces as a team.
Defensively, Giannelle Asomani anchored the Tigers with a team-high 15 digs, while Featherstone reached double figures with 10. Naija Gadis added eight digs to go along with 16 assists.
Jackson State used multiple setters to direct an offense that produced 46 assists. Gadis led the way with 16, while Ryleigh Davis and Kayla Troutman each handed out 11 assists.
The match featured plenty of back-and-forth action, with the two teams combining for 48 ties and 18 lead changes across four sets. The opening set alone featured 13 ties, while the second had 14 and the fourth featured 12.
Up Next
The Tigers are set to host Florida A&M at the Lee E. Williams AAC on Sunday afternoon. First serve is set for 12 p.m.
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