WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@Middle Tennessee 3,
Tennessee State 0 (28-26, 25-19, 25-21)
@
Jacksonville State 3, Tennessee Tech 0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-14)
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Tennessee State volleyball took a break from conference play and travelled to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to play the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders of Conference USA. The Tigers battled through three sets to eventually losing 3-0 (28-26, 25-19, 25-21).
Curstyn Wilson served her 30th ace of her career against the Blue Raiders. Katora Roberts led the match with a .571 attack percentage.
First Set: MTSU had first serve, but TSU had the first point. Rachel Henderson put down one to start the set for Big Blue. Blue Raider Dora Peonia, ranked 16th in the nation for service aces, tripped up the Tiger defense serving two back-to-back aces. Katora Roberts broke up Peonia’s run with three kills in-a-row, followed by a dump to the center of the court by freshman setter Megan Evans. Curstyn Wilson served her 30th service ace of her career. Rachel Henderson tied for the highest kills in the set with 6. The Tigers went point-for-point, pushing the final score of set one to 28-26, Blue Raiders win.
Second Set: MTSU took the first point, but a service error and a Katora Roberts kill put the Tigers up for the beginning of the set. Curstyn Wilson followed up with the second ace of the match. Megan Evans dumped the ball in the middle of the Blue Raiders, putting up another Tiger point. At this point, the Blue Raiders took control. Makila York, Bailey Mason and Dora Peonia put down multiple kills recording a .565 for the set, out playing the Tigers 25-19.
Third Set: The Tigers had a slow start, letting MTSU go 4-0 before a service error finally put TSU on the board. Curstyn Wilson, Samantha Beltran and Maya Evans each posted a kill to even out the score 7-7. Big Blue recorded several errors that counteracted the points they put up. Then, Blue Raider Baily Mason stepped to the service line and recorded two aces followed by another MTSU ace increasing their lead by seven. With a final push, Katora Roberts, Megan Evans and Rachel Henderson scored points for the Tigers creating a 5-0 run. The match was closed by the second official awarding a point to MTSU, allowing them to take the match 25-21.
Tennessee State continues their streak of road games this Friday at 6 p.m. against Morehead State, followed by Eastern Kentucky on Saturday at 1 p.m.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Behind a powerful .325 team hitting percentage, the Jacksonville State volleyball team made quick work of visiting Tennessee Tech on Wednesday night at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
Senior Charis Ludtke posted a team-high 14 kills, while sophomore Kaylee Frear reached double-digit put-aways for the second-straight match as JSU (19-11, 5-6 Ohio Valley Conference) swept TTU (25-18, 25-20, 25-14). It marked the second year in a row the Gamecocks have completed the season sweep of their traveling partners from Cookeville, Tenn.
Ludtke and Frear were joined by Allyson Zuhlke (.409), Kaylie Milton (.353) and Mackenzie Rombach (.308) as five Gamecocks to hit above .300 for the match. Jennifer Hart and Rachel Perucki evenly distributed 17 assists apiece, and both recorded double-doubles with 10 and 12 digs, respectively. Senior Hannah Kirk led the way with 17 digs, while Milton upped 11 balls to go along with her seven kills.
At the net, JSU out-blocked Tech, 10-4. Kim Krutsinger, Rombach and Ludtke all turned away four attacks, while Frear was in on three blocks.
The 19 wins are the most under fourth-year head coach Terry Gamble, after 18-win campaigns in 2014 and 2016. JSU's last 20-win team came in 2009 as the Gamecocks won 27 matches en route to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Each of the first two sets saw Jax State pull away late to grab a 2-0 advantage. JSU finished on an 11-4 run in the first after a 14-14 tie, and then used a trio of kills from Zuhlke in the second to go on a 4-0 run after leading just 19-18. JSU led by as many as 13 in the third and final frame en route to the match win.
Tech was led offensively by Shaniece James' 11 kills as Susie Jeziorowski dishing 35 of TTU's 36 assists. Kirsten Brugere was the lone Golden Eagle in double figures with 21 digs.