Volleyball Grinds Out Win Over Alabama State

TSU volleyball displayed perseverance and grit as they knocked off Alabama State 3-2 Sunday afternoon inside the H&PE Arena.
 
Alabama State claimed an early 13-10 lead in set one but TSU managed to turn the tide of the set with a 10-0 run to lead 19-13 but ASU refused to back down as they countered with a 6-0 run to trail 20-19. Kourtni Collier's three kills sparked a 5-0 surge as TSU claimed set one 25-19.
 
TSU led by five to start set two off but ASU outscored them 10-7 to get within 17-15. Similar to set one, ASU went on a scoring run as they outscored TSU 10-0 to win 24-15.
 
Tied at 10-all in set three, TSU dominated from that point as they used a complete team effort in a 15-4 run for a 25-14 win. Set four saw the Hornets establish a 19-11 margin but TSU closed the gap to 19-16. The Hornets added two more to lead 21-16 but two Gracie Lee kills trimmed the deficit to 21-18. A TSU service error killed the run which led to a pair of ASU points as TSU would only score once en route to a 25-19 loss.
 
Set five saw the Tigers start strong and rattle ASU early en route to claiming a 7-2 lead. The Hornets cut the lead 8-4 before the sides switched but Taryn Stafford's kill along with two ASU errors upped the lead to 11-5. ASU outscored TSU 8-2 to draw within 13-11 but an ASU attack error and TSU block to close out the match sealed the win for TSU.
 
Kourtni Collier led TSU with 10 kills followed by nine from Hill. Stafford and Hill finished with five blocks each while Ava Ray had 18 assists. Angelika Rusin added 20 digs followed 10 from Lauren Battle.
 
TSU will face Alabama A&M Monday at 6 p.m. inside the H&PE Arena.