PULASKI, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee Southern volleyball team battled through five closely contested sets Tuesday evening but ultimately fell 3-2 to Fisk University in its home opener at the Curry Athletic Complex.
After dropping the opening set, the Firehawks responded by taking two of the next three sets, including a thrilling 27-25 victory in the third. Fisk answered with a fourth-set win before claiming the deciding fifth set to secure the match by scores of 25-18, 18-25, 25-27, 25-22, and 15-8.
UT Southern finished with 55 kills and a .224 hitting percentage, nearly matching Fisk's 56 kills and .225 attacking mark in a tightly played contest.
Ashlee Kraft and Meloise Aureyre paced the Firehawk offense with 17 and 16 kills, respectively. Kraft hit .273 and added seven digs, while Aureyre contributed nine digs and a service ace.
Jelleny Mallozzi continued her strong start to the season, directing the offense with 36 assists while adding four kills and seven digs. Emma Beardsley turned in an all-around performance with eight kills, 11 digs, two service aces, and five block assists.
Coming off her SSAC Defender of the Week honor, Amree Patterson was once again a force at the net. The sophomore middle blocker recorded five kills and seven total blocks, including three solo blocks, helping the Firehawks post nine total team blocks in the match.
Ashley Cope anchored the back row with a team-high 19 digs, while Olivia Ward added four kills, five digs, two service aces, and two block assists.
The Firehawks fought back from an early deficit in the third set and erased multiple Fisk set points before securing a 27-25 victory. However, Fisk used a fast start in the fifth set to gain control and close out the match.
Match Notes
Up Next
UT Southern heads to Grand Rapids, Michigan, this weekend for the Aquinas/Cornerstone Invitational. The Firehawks open tournament play Friday, Sept. 4, against No. 12 Mount Vernon Nazarene University before facing Olivet Nazarene University and No. 17 Aquinas College on Saturday.
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