Lady Tigers sweep past Alcorn State

HOUSTON – A week and a half between matches did not slow down the Texas Southern volleyball team when it returned to the court Friday, as the Lady Tigers swept visiting Alcorn State.
 
Scores of the match were 25-10, 25-11, and 25-13.
 
Kali Fluke and Alexis Austin knocked down nine kills apiece to lead the Lady Tigers (11-9), who improved to 7-1 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play. Fluke proved to be particularly tough for Alcorn State to counter, as she knocked down her nine kills on only 12 attempts, and hit .667 for the match; she also added five total blocks.
 
Austin hit .429 for the match, while Ashlynn Caldwell hit .857, knocking down six kills with no errors on seven attempts.
 
TSU's front-row points were matched on the back row by libero Allison Woods, who served nine aces on Friday. Asia Howard handed out 19 assists for the Lady Tigers, while Cassidy Jannson led the defensive effort with 10 digs.
 
Alcorn State's Barbara Garrett knocked down a match-high 10 kills for the Lady Braves (2-14, 1-6 SWAC). With four errors and 25 total attempts, she was the only Alcorn State player with more than one attack attempt to hit for positive percentage.
 
The Lady Braves were simply no match for TSU, as the Lady Tigers hit .359 as a team for the match, and .611 (12 kills and only one error) in set two. TSU made quick work of Alcorn State, finishing the match in less than hour.
 
Texas Southern jumped out to a 9-1 lead in set one and never looked back, as they did not allow Alcorn State within five points for the duration of the set. Woods served three of her aces during a 7-0 run to end the set.
 
A quick start also benefitted the Lady Tigers in set two, as they took leads of 6-1 and 13-3, which proved to be more than enough of a cushion for the remainder of the set.
 
Alcorn State pushed back in set three, fending off deficits of 9-3 and 12-7. The Lady Braves closed the score to 12-11 with a 4-0 run before the Lady Tigers responded with seven consecutive points of their own.
 
The Lady Tigers return to action Saturday when they host Southern at TSU's H&PE Arena. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m.