HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Tennessee State volleyball battled Alabama A&M through four sets Tuesday evening at Elmore Gymnasium, taking an extended third set before falling 3-1.

The Tigers dropped the match 19-25, 15-25, 28-26, 17-25. TSU moved to 0-11 on the season, while Alabama A&M improved to 7-7.

Tuesday also marked the first start of the 2026 season for Julia Culpepper, who returned to the starting lineup after a knee injury. Culpepper made an immediate impact with seven kills and 10 digs while playing all four sets.

Alabama A&M scored the opening point of the first set before Tennessee State answered with four straight to take an early 4-1 advantage. The teams traded points through the early stages, remaining even at 9-9 before the Bulldogs used a 6-3 stretch to create separation and force a TSU timeout. Alabama A&M carried the momentum through the remainder of the frame to take the opener, 25-19.

The Bulldogs controlled the second set, holding the Tigers to nine kills while forcing 12 attack errors. Alabama A&M hit .296 in the frame and pulled away for a 25-15 win to take a 2-0 lead into the break.

Tennessee State responded with its strongest offensive set of the night in the third. The Tigers produced 17 kills on 33 attacks with just five errors, hitting .364 as a team. The back-and-forth frame featured eight ties and two lead changes before TSU pushed past regulation and secured a 28-26 victory to extend the match.

Alabama A&M again scored first in the fourth, but the Tigers quickly answered with the next five points to jump in front. The Bulldogs worked their way back into the set and eventually regained control, closing out the match with a 25-17 fourth-set victory.

Wiktoria Jakubik led Tennessee State with 10 kills and added a strong defensive effort at the net with two solo blocks and three block assists. Sydney Robinson followed with eight kills on 15 swings, hitting .267.

Triniti Jackson delivered an efficient all-around performance, finishing with seven kills on 12 attempts with just one error for a team-best .500 hitting percentage. The freshman setter also dished out 28 assists, added six digs and contributed three total blocks.

Defensively, Jordan Imperial paced the Tigers with 12 digs and recorded both of TSU's service aces. Culpepper and Jakubik each added 10 digs, giving Tennessee State three players in double figures.

At the net, TSU finished with 12 block assists and six solo blocks. Gabrielle Washington accounted for two solo blocks and five block assists, while Jakubik added five total blocks.

Tennessee State finished with 41 kills, 53 digs and a .107 hitting percentage, while Alabama A&M recorded 57 kills, 46 digs and hit .213.