GRAMBLING, La. | Grambling State closed out its final home match of the season in dramatic fashion, rallying late to defeat Texas Southern, 3–2, on Senior Night Sunday afternoon inside the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.

The Lady Tigers earned the victory by scores of 25–18, 16–25, 19–25, 25–17, and 15–12, improving to 8–19 overall and 6–10 in SWAC play.

Kenya Lucas led the offensive charge with 15 kills, while Avri Solik-Fifarek added 14 kills and two aces.

Rihianna Brown contributed nine kills and a team-high four blocks, and Alayna Howard paced the offense with 27 assists.

Defensively, Leisey Keli'i anchored the back row with 18 digs, while Amaris Marks chipped in 10 digs and key serving runs throughout the match.




HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: Grambling 25, Texas Southern 18
Grambling opened its Senior Night strong, using kills from Lucas and Brown to build early separation. A steady service run from Reece Cook pushed the lead to 20–15, and the Lady Tigers
closed out the frame behind a Brown block to take a 1–0 advantage.

Set 2: Texas Southern 25, Grambling 16
Texas Southern responded with an efficient second set, capitalizing on a fast start to grab momentum. Despite late kills from Solik-Fifarek and Brown, GSU was unable to overcome TSU's .538 hitting performance as the match evened at 1–1.

Set 3: Texas Southern 25, Grambling 19
The Lady Tigers battled throughout a back-and-forth third frame, with Marks sparking a run from the service line to pull GSU within 19–18. However, TSU closed the set on a 6–1 stretch to
take a 2–1 match lead.

Set 4: Grambling 25, Texas Southern 17
Facing elimination, Grambling responded with its most complete set of the evening. Solik-Fifarek and Lucas combined for a series of momentum-shifting kills, while Brown
dominated at the net. The Lady Tigers hit .346 as a team to force a decisive fifth set in their finalhome match of the semester.

Set 5: Grambling 15, Texas Southern 12 The final set featured several lead changes before Grambling pulled ahead late behind key swings from Lucas and Solik-Fifarek. Marks delivered a timely ace to make it 11–8, and the match was sealed moments later when Brown and Jazmine Binion combined for a block to secure the Senior Night victory. With Sunday's win, Grambling State concludes its 2024–25 regular season.

The Lady Tigers finish the year at 8–19 overall and 6–10 in SWAC play, closing the season on a high note with a Senior Night victory.





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