PULASKI, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee Southern volleyball team fought through a grueling five-set match Friday evening, defeating Life University 3–2 (18–25, 25–16, 22–25, 25–21, 15–13) inside the Curry Athletic Complex.
UT Southern dropped the opening set 25–18 after early attack errors gave Life an advantage despite strong swings from Ashlee Kraft and Emma Beardsley. The Firehawks bounced back in the second frame, controlling play behind a balanced attack and tough serving runs from Olivia Ward that included two straight aces. Amree Patterson and Ward combined for key blocks, while Irby Norris and Kraft helped close the set 25–16.
The third set saw momentum swing back and forth, as Jelleny Mallozzi's service run helped tie the score late before Life edged out a 25–22 win. Refusing to back down, the Firehawks answered in the fourth with a steady offensive rhythm led by Mallozzi's 10 assists and timely kills from Beardsley and Kraft to take it 25–21 and force a deciding set. In the fifth, UT Southern jumped out early behind kills from Patterson and Kraft and never trailed after taking a 5–1 lead. Life made a late push, but Norris' final kill and a Life attack error secured the Firehawks' 15–13 win.
Top Performers – UT Southern
Team Set Statistics
| Set |
UTS K-E-TA (%) |
Life K-E-TA (%) |
Set Score |
| 1 |
10-8-37 (.054) |
15-4-39 (.282) |
Life 25–18 |
| 2 |
10-2-28 (.286) |
10-10-38 (.000) |
UTS 25–16 |
| 3 |
10-7-41 (.073) |
12-5-36 (.194) |
Life 25–22 |
| 4 |
10-4-40 (.150) |
14-13-50 (.020) |
UTS 25–21 |
| 5 |
8-4-25 (.160) |
7-4-25 (.120) |
UTS 15–13 |
| Totals |
48-25-171 (.135) |
58-36-188 (.117) |
UTS 3–2 |
Up Next
UT Southern (11–9, 7–6 SSAC) returns to action on Saturday, November 1, hosting Brewton-Parker Christian for Senior Day at 1 p.m. inside the Curry Athletic Complex.
