GRAMBLING, La. – For the second straight night, the TSU volleyball team overcame an early deficit and rolled off three straight wins as they defeated Grambling State 3-1 Monday night.
TSU opened set one with a 9-4 lead but Grambling State went on a 13-6 surge to lead 17-15. TSU fought back with a defensive stand as Taryn Stafford had two blocks to lead 20-19 but GSU countered with a 6-0 run to win 25-20.
Gracie Hill opened set two with four kills as she sparked an early 10-3 lead for TSU. Grambling State trimmed its lead to 12-8 and 14-10 but TSU broke away as Lauren Battle and Kourtni Collier added two kills each during an 11-4 run en route to a 25-14 win.
TSU started set three strong as they led 7-3 but Grambling State answered with a 10-5 run to reclaim a 13-11 lead. Ava Ray's service ace coupled with a pair of Collier blocks and kills moved TSU ahead 16-13 but Grambling State fought back and tied the set at 18-all. Grambling State would tie it twice from that point but Hill's three kills sparked a 7-3 surge as TSU won set three 25-22.
Lauren Battle's three kills helped TSU overcome a 4-2 deficit and turn it into a 12-5 lead. Grambling State would respond but TSU matched point-for-point as they opened a 22-13 margin. GSU scored six straight to draw within 22-19 but TSU took advantage of a pair of GSU errors to close out the set and match by a 25-19 score.
Hill (15), Battle (12) and Collier (10) all had double-digit kills while Ray added 22 assists followed by 19 from Kennedi Walker. Collier led TSU with four blocks followed by 35 assists from Angelika Rusin.
TSU is back in action on Friday for a match against Bethune-Cookman at 1 p.m. inside the H&PE Arena.
