Jenna Siddiqui
MC301 Contributor/Staff
Although short one player, the Jackson State University volleyball team came out of their spring tournament with a record of 2-3.
Outside hitters, Kennede Banks and Tamisha Barry, are both out due to injuries. This left the team with seven players to play with, which meant that everyone had to play in every game.
The Lady Tigers first game was against Belhaven University. They lost a close set with the scores of 24-26 and 21-25. Setter, Keirsten Howard, had eight digs, while right-side hitter A’lexsis Ford added on seven kills and four blocks.
The second match was against University of Southern Mississippi. They were defeated 15-25 and a closer game of 20-25. Ford had nine kills and four blocks, Howard had six digs and middle blockers, Mikayla Rolle and Kianna Shelton each contributed four kills.
JSU played against Union University as the girls battled in three games to come out with a victory. They lost the first game with a close score of 24-26. They came right back to win 26-24 and dominated the third game 15-10. Rolle and Ford both hit over a .400 hitting percentage, while Howard and Karmen Jackson each had eight digs. Outside hitter, Jasmine Knight helped out the team with seven kills and nine digs. Right-side hitter, Taija Thomas, had 10 kills, while Shelton hit a .500 and dominated the net with eight blocks.
Taija Thomas, a freshman accounting major from Ontario, Canada said, “I thought the tournament was a good experience for me because I really had to fight through my frustration and be a team player to help my team win. It gave me the chance to play all around and work on my passing of next season as well as see if we got any better from our off season training.”
After winning the first game against Louisiana Tech, they lost the next two games 15-25 and 6-15, losing the match. Ford had nine kills and five digs, while Knight, Howard and Jackson had eight digs each.
Jasmine Knight, a junior biology major from Belle Rose, La., said, “I felt as though the tournament went well for us, although we were limited in numbers, we still found a way to execute and score. Our objective for the tournament was to stay focused, stay aggressive and have fun.”
To close out the tournament, the Lady Tigers defeated Grambling State University 25-17 and 25-19. Knight had eight kills, Ford had six kills and Rolle was at the net with three blocks.
Keirsten Howard, a junior art major from Austin, Texas, said,” I enjoyed this spring season. It gave the team a chance to become closer and take steps for the fall. We will be the SWAC Champs. Although the day was long and intense, we as a team managed to have a great tournament and end with a win against our own Grambling State.”
This tournament was just a preview of the 2015 season for the Lady Tigers, as they battle for their third SWAC Championship.
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