JACKSON, Miss. | Jackson State University volleyball continued its strong start to Southwestern Athletic Conference play Sunday afternoon, battling past Texas Southern, 3-1, inside the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center.
The Tigers took the match by scores of 25-18, 16-25, 25-23 and 25-23, improving to 6-9 overall and 2-0 in SWAC competition.
Jackson State came out aggressively in the opening set, using a balanced offensive attack to claim a 25-18 victory. The Tigers recorded 16 kills on 37 attacks in the opening frame, hitting .351 as a team. Hope Briggs helped lead the charge with several key kills, while Shelby Zanders and Sophia McKenzie also contributed offensively.
Texas Southern responded in the second set, taking a 25-16 decision to even the match at one set apiece. The Tigers, however, regrouped and answered with a tightly contested third set.
Jackson State and Texas Southern battled through multiple ties in the third, with the Tigers ultimately pulling away late. After the score was tied at 21-21, Jackson State secured three of the final four points, including kills from Zanders and Ryleigh Davis, to close out the set, 25-23.
The Tigers carried that momentum into the fourth set. Jackson State jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, sparked by a service ace from Davis and back-to-back Texas Southern attack errors. The Tigers maintained their advantage throughout the middle portion of the set before Texas Southern rallied to tie the score at 17-17.
Jackson State answered the challenge, regaining the lead and continuing to make the critical plays down the stretch as the Tigers secured the 25-23 fourth-set victory and clinched the match.
Briggs paced the Tigers offensively with 14 kills, 16 points and three total blocks. Zanders added six kills, three blocks and two service aces, while Jayla David recorded five kills and three total blocks. Mackenzie Moore was efficient offensively, finishing with four kills on 12 attacks and just one error.
Davis directed the Jackson State offense with 24 assists, while also contributing seven kills and eight digs. Naija Gadis added 16 assists, giving the Tigers a strong one-two punch in setting.
Defensively, Giannelle Asomani delivered a standout performance with a match-high 26 digs, while Davis added eight and Parker Featherstone contributed eight. As a team, Jackson State recorded 64 digs and eight total blocks.
Overall, the Tigers finished with 50 kills, 47 assists, 64 digs and eight blocks, consistently finding ways to answer Texas Southern's runs and make plays during the decisive moments of the match.
Up Next
The Tigers will take a trip to Mississippi Valley State on Wednesday. First serve is set for 6 pm.
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