DENTON, Texas | The Grambling State University volleyball team opened its 2018 season on Friday as the Lady Tigers fell to Kent State (3-0) and Northeastern (3-0) in the North Texas Tournament at the University of North Texas Volleyball Center.
 
Match 1 vs. Kent State (3-0 loss)
The Lady Tigers opened the season with a 3-0 sweep by the Golden Flashes: 25-18, 25-13, 25-19.
 
Tess Reynolds led Grambling State with 11 kills, while Kevreion Ward added eight. L'Muriell Thrower and Sheila Borders tallied nine and eight assists, respectively, while Thrower and Talicia Lang had five and four kills each.
 
Kathryn Ellison paced Kent State with a match-high 14 kills on 30 attempts. Sam Jones recorded a team-high 17 assists, while teammate Natalie Tagala chipped in with 10. Defensively, Erin Gardner registered a match-high six digs.
 
Match 2 vs. Northeastern (3-0 loss)
Grambling State (0-2) dropped the opening set, 25-18, and led nearly throughout the second set before Northeastern rallied late to pick up a 25-23 win. The Huskies put the third set away with a 25-18 victory to claim the three-set match.
 
Lang and Reynolds paced the Lady Tigers offense with eight kills each, while Ward chipped in with eight. Thrower and Borders combined for 19 of the team's 25 assists and Teryn Phillips registered a team-high six digs.
 
Taylor Reiter and Hannah Boyd led Northeastern with nine kills each and Samantha Shupe handed out a match-high 35 assists. Defensively, Sherrie Wang tallied five digs.
 
Inside the Numbers
> Against Kent State, Grambling State finished with a .107 hitting percentage (27 kills, 19 errors, 75 attacks)
> Kent State recorded a .333 hitting percentage (40 kills, 12 errors, 84 attacks)
> The Lady Tigers tallied 13 kills on 27 attacks, with five errors in the third set for a .296 hitting percentage
> The Golden Flashes hit .448 (16 kills, 29 attacks and three errors) in the final set
> Grambling State registered 25 assists, 23 digs, four total team blocks and two service aces
> Kent State added 36 assists, 21 digs, eight total team blocks and six service aces
> Against Northeastern, Grambling State finished with a .153 hitting percentage (28 kills, 17 errors, 72 attacks)
> Northeastern recorded a .234 hitting percentage (41 kills, 19 errors, 94 attacks)
> The Lady Tigers hit .261 in the second set with 10 kills on 23 attacks, with four errors.
> The Huskies hit a set-best .333 in the opening set (15 kills, 27 attacks, six errors)
> Grambling State recorded 25 assists, 18 digs four service aces and three total team blocks
> Northeastern tallied 38 assists, 14 digs, six service aces and four total team blocks
 
Up Next
Grambling State wraps up play at the North Texas Tournament on Saturday with a 9 a.m. match against Nicholls State. 
 
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