LAFAYETTE, La. | Jackson State volleyball completed a two-match day Friday at Earl K. Long Gym, falling in straight sets to UT Arlington and Mississippi State. Despite the results, the Tigers produced several strong individual performances and showed improvement offensively as the day progressed. Both contests were played as neutral-site matches in Lafayette.
UT Arlington 3, Jackson State 0
Jackson State opened the day against UT Arlington, battling the Mavericks throughout all three sets before falling 25-20, 25-20, 25-19. The Tigers remained within striking distance in each frame and finished the match with 32 kills, 31 assists, 44 digs and three total blocks.
Katejion Robinson paced the Jackson State attack with nine kills and added a solo block to finish with a team-high 10 points. Jayla David turned in one of the Tigers' most efficient offensive performances, putting down six kills on 15 attempts with just one error for a .333 hitting percentage. Hope Briggs added six kills and two block assists, while Ryleigh Davis contributed five kills on a .286 hitting percentage.
Jackson State's back row was led by Giannelle Asomani, who collected 12 digs, while Maya Reeves added nine and Naija Gadis finished with eight. Gadis also handed out 11 assists and recorded a service ace.
The Tigers showed their fight particularly well in the second set. After falling behind early, Jackson State mounted a late surge behind Gadis' serve, putting together a lengthy scoring run that pulled JSU from 21-11 to 21-18 before UT Arlington eventually closed the frame, 25-20.
Mississippi State 3, Jackson State 0
Jackson State returned to the court later Friday to face Mississippi State, with the Bulldogs taking the match 25-12, 25-21, 25-19. The Tigers improved their offensive production considerably from the morning match, totaling 33 kills while hitting .185 and collecting 54 digs.
Hope Briggs delivered a standout performance to lead Jackson State. Briggs put away a match-high 12 kills for JSU on just 20 swings with only two errors, finishing with a .500 hitting percentage. She also contributed a block assist and accounted for 12.5 points.
Jayla David was nearly flawless offensively, converting four of her five attacks without an error for an .800 hitting percentage. David also contributed two total blocks, including Jackson State's lone solo block. Katejion Robinson added six kills, while Parker Featherstone finished with five.
Ryleigh Davis helped direct the JSU offense with 22 assists while also contributing 11 digs, giving her a double-double. Asomani led the Tigers defensively with 14 digs, while Featherstone added nine and Gadis chipped in seven.
Jackson State's strongest stretch came in the second set. The Tigers went toe-to-toe with Mississippi State through much of the frame, building leads of 9-7, 12-10 and 16-15. JSU remained within two at 19-17 and continued to battle before Mississippi State eventually escaped with a 25-21 win.
Inside the Numbers
Jackson State combined for 65 kills and 98 digs across Friday's two matches. The Tigers made a noticeable offensive jump from the first contest to the second, improving from a .080 hitting percentage against UT Arlington to .185 against Mississippi State.
Briggs and Robinson each totaled 18 kills across the two matches to lead the Tigers on the day. David was especially efficient, combining for 10 kills with just one attack error across 20 attempts. Defensively, Asomani totaled a team-best 26 digs, while Davis contributed 14 digs and 28 assists over the two contests.
Jackson State's best offensive set came in the second frame against Mississippi State, when the Tigers recorded 15 kills with only two attack errors on 34 attempts for a .382 hitting percentage.
Inside the Numbers
JSU will complete the tournament Saturday afternoon against the host team, Louisiana. First serve is set for 2 pm.
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