JACKSON, Miss. | Grambling State battled through five competitive sets Friday evening but came up short against Jackson State, falling 3-2 (24-26, 22-25, 25-15, 33-31, 15-10) at the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center.
The Tigers (9-13, 5-5 SWAC) opened the match with strong performances in the first two sets, taking a 2-0 lead before Jackson State (10-13, 6-4 SWAC) rallied to win the final three sets and secure the conference victory.
Grambling State edged the Lady Tigers 26-24 in the opening set, overcoming a closely contested finish to take the early advantage. The Tigers followed with another hard-fought performance in the second set, earning a 25-22 win to move within one set of the match.
Jackson State responded in the third set, pulling away for a 25-15 victory to cut GSU's lead to 2-1. The fourth set proved to be the decisive turning point, as both teams traded points throughout an extended battle. Grambling pushed the set beyond the required 25 points, but Jackson State eventually prevailed 33-31 to force a fifth set.
In the deciding set, Jackson State maintained control and closed out the match with a 15-10 win.
Lyric Jordan led Grambling State offensively with 19 kills, hitting .378, while Kenya Lucas added 18 kills and finished with a team-high 19.5 points. Rihianna Brown contributed seven kills and five total blocks, while Angelique Pena also recorded six kills while hitting .286.
Reece Cook paced the Tigers with 21 assists, while Alayna Howard added 30 assists and two service aces. Asialin Powell led the defensive effort with 31 digs, and Amaris Marks finished with nine digs.
GSU finished with 64 kills, six service aces and 79 digs. The Tigers also recorded 11 total blocks, including five solo blocks.
Jackson State was led by Jada Constanza with 15 kills and 20 points, while Shelby Zanders added 17 kills and Maya Dove contributed 15. Naija Gadis recorded 36 assists, and Giannelle Asomani led the defensive effort with 23 digs.
UP NEXT
Grambling State travels to Itta Bena, Miss. to face Mississippi Valley State on Sunday at the R.W. Harrison HPER Complex. First serve is set for 12 p.m.
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