Texas Southern battled Bethune-Cookman through five competitive sets Sunday afternoon but came up just short as the Wildcats rallied for a 3-2 (25-15, 24-26, 25-21, 13-25, 15-17) Southwestern Athletic Conference victory inside the H&PE Arena.
Texas Southern established control early behind an aggressive offensive attack and solid defensive play. The Tigers opened the match with a 7-2 advantage and maintained their momentum throughout the opening frame. The Wildcats drew to within 17-12 but the Tigers took full advantage with a 5-0 run to secure the set by a 25-15 margin.
The Tigers kept the momentum from set one into set two as they jumped out to a 14-7 lead. Lauren battle, Gracie Lee and Aaliyah Brown added three straight kills to extend the lead to 17-9 but BCU went on a blitz and closed the gap to 18-18 after winning a challenge. TSU moved ahead 23-19 but the Wildcats made plays on both ends of the net to move ahead 24-23 but Lee's kill kept TSU alive and forced a sudden death. However, BCU posted two kills to win set two 26-24.
It was another back-and-forth set as TSU led 11-9 but BCU jumped ahead 12-11. The Tigers answered with a 7-1 run but the Wildcats refused go away as they cut the lead to 19-18. TSU fought back and claimed a 23-20 margin before holding on to win 25-21.
Bethune-Cookman seized momentum in the fourth set with its most efficient offensive performance of the afternoon. The Wildcats registered 13 kills against only two attacking errors for a .344 hitting percentage. Texas Southern struggled offensively, finishing with six kills and seven errors as Bethune-Cookman forced a deciding fifth set with a 25-13 victory.
The deciding set featured another competitive battle as both teams fought for control. TSU claimed a 6-5 lead but BCU moved ahead 11-6 and was on the verge of putting TSU away for good. The Tigers refused to back down and fought back with a vengeance to tie it at 12-all as it began another back-and-forth affair.
TSU forced a deuce point at 14-all following a BCU service error but the Wildcats went ahead 15-14 after a bad set. Gracie Lee's kill tied it at 15-all but BCU managed to record two points to close out the match 3-2.
Texas Southern featured a balanced offensive attack as Gracie Lee, Lauren Battle and Ava Houston finished with 11 kills each. Morgynne McQueen added seven kills on a team-best .583 hitting percentage while recording four total blocks.
Defensively, Keagan St. Junious anchored the Tigers with a match-high 34 digs and three service aces. Keldri Young and Battle added 14 digs each while Kadence Davison distributed 27 assists and Kennedi Walker contributed 21.
Texas Southern returns to action Friday, Nov. 13, hosting Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6 p.m. inside the H&PE Arena.
