Volleyball Fights To The End After Opening Day Of Wildcat Classic

TUCSON, Ariz. – Texas Southern volleyball dropped a pair of close matches to San Diego State and UC Riverside on the opening day of the Wildcat Classic on the University of Arizona campus.

SAN DIEGO STATE 3, TSU 0
San Diego State would use late runs in each set to pull away from TSU by a 3-0 margin in the opener.

SDSU led 8-3 to begin set one but TSU battled back led by three kills from Danielle Lilley as she sparked an 11-5 run as TSU led 14-13. Both teams would go back-and-forth when it came to claiming the lead but errors would haunt TSU at the end as they committed seven errors which sparked a 10-1 run by the Aztecs for a 25-17 loss.

SDSU jumped out to a 6-2 lead in set two which increased to 8-3 but TSU would narrow the gap due to a 5-1 run which saw solid play from both sides of the net. SDSU would attempt to pull away on several occasions but TSU continued to answer as they found themselves down four each time. SDSU would get to match point but TSU would force them to commit four errors to draw within 24-22. However, a late kill would allow SDSU to claim set two 25-22.

The final set saw SDSU lead early as TSU couldn’t get over the hump despite battling back late en route to a 25-17 win.

Lilley led TSU with seven kills followed by 11 assists from Aeris Ramsey. Lilley also had 14 digs followed by 13 from Nia Ford.

UC RIVERSIDE 3, TSU 1
TSU opened match two with a solid win but couldn’t capitalize on the momentum as they fell 3-1 to UC Riverside in the nightcap.

The Tigers went on a 7-1 run in the opening set to break open a tight game as both teams had long runs in the opening set. TSU was up 18-14 but UCR went on a 3-0 run to draw within 18-17. TSU would force UCR into committing three errors after the run which sparked a late run and a 25-18 win.

Set two was close again midway through the match but UCR went on an 11-3 run to take control as they claimed a 25-14 decision. Set three was tied at 11-all until a 4-0 UCR run gave them a 15-11 lead. TSU narrowed the gap to 15-13 but a 6-0 run was the difference late as UCR pulled away for a 25-16 win.

The final set opened with TSU ahead 8-7 but UCR responded with an 11-2 run for a 18-10 lead which was too big of a hole to climb out of en route to a 25-13 UCR win.

Thalia Cordero Moreno led TSU with eight kills while Ramsey had 17 assists. Ford led the way with 17 digs while Cordero Moreno had 16.

TSU closes out the tourney with a matchup against Arizona at 3:30 p.m. (CST) Saturday.