NASHVILLE – Bethune-Cookman finished up the Tiger Invitational hosted by Tennessee State on Saturday evening, as the Wildcats fell in a pair of matches to Georgia State (L, 3-0) and host Tennessee State (L, 3-1) inside Kean Hall Gymnasium on the TNSU campus.
 
GSU 3, B-CU 0
Niara Hightower supplied eight kills and four blocks Saturday afternoon, as Bethune-Cookman dropped a 3-0 decision to Georgia State as part of the Tiger Invitational inside Kean Hall Gymnasium on the campus of Tennessee State in Nashville, Tennessee. Georgia State won the match on set scores of 25-20, 25-18, 25-19.
 
Freshman outside hitter Amya Jennings laid down a kill to bring Bethune-Cookman (3-5) to within a point, trailing 10-9 in the opening set.
 
Georgia State (6-2) would ride the swing of Alessia Cappai and Keionna Mackey to extend the lead and give the Panthers a 20-14 lead late-on. However, another kill from Jennings, as well as a Sierra Herndon service ace brought B-CU back to within 22-18. But a pair of Mackey kills – adding a service ace to close the frame, gave the Panthers the 25-20 opening set win.
 
In the second set, it would be Hightower collecting five of her eight kills for the match, as well as assisting on three blocks for the Wildcats. B-CU would be unable to take advantage of 10 GSU attack errors in the frame, as the Panthers produced six service aces in the set – two each from Cappai and Kayla Broom.
 
GSU was led in the match by Cappai with a match-high 12 kills and 12 digs for her double-double. Livy Kowalkowski pulled in a matchhigh-14 digs. And setter Shanelle Martinez supplied the Panthers with 22 assists.
 
Hightower's eight kills led the Cats offensively, while the setter duo of Nola Hemphill (nine assists, nine digs) and Alisha Callender (10 assists, nine digs) set up the offense.
 
TNSU 3, B-CU 1
It was Jasmine Robinson supplying Bethune-Cookman with 10 kills Saturday evening, while the Cats fell to host Tennessee State by a 3-1 decision at Kean Hall Gymnasium as part of the Tiger Invitational hosted by TNSU in Nashville, Tennessee. Tennessee State gathered the win on scores of 22-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-11.
 
Three difference Bethune-Cookman (3-6) players put down two kills in the opening set, as the Wildcats rallied for a 25-22 win in the frame.
 
With the first set tied at 8-all, consecutive attack errors from Tennessee State (3-6) outside hitter Celestial Miller moved the visitors in front, 10-8. The two teams would trade side-outs for a spell until a Niara Hightower kill was followed by an Alisha Callender service ace. Mecca Freeman would follow with a kill down the middle, before Callender would tally her second servicer ace of the match to extend the B-CU lead at 15-11.
 
TNSU would claw back to within 24-22 on a B-CU attack error. But it was a kill from the setter Callender that closed the set and win for the Wildcats, 25-22.
 
The second set saw TNSU hit .289 as a team behind six kills apiece from Jayla Holcombe and Alizaysha Sopi to give the hosts a 25-19 win.
 
The Cats would collect a .200 percentage hitting in the third set as Jasmine Robinson delivered four of her 10 kills on the night in the frame. However, TNSU's Sopi and Miller combined for 10 kills to move ahead in the match courtesy a 25-19 decision.
 
Tennessee State was led in the match by Holcombe with 17 kills. Miller (13) and Sopi (12) also reached double-digit kills for the Tigers.
 
B-CU was led by Robinson's 10 kills – the third time this season she's amassed double-figures in the kills column. Callender ended the night with 17 assists and 10 digs for a double-double effort. Hightower accumulated six blocks (three solo), while Sierra Herndon also had six assisted blocks for the Maroon and Gold.
 
B-CU returns to action Friday, Sept. 20, when traveling to Jacksonville, Florida, to face off against Columbia at Jacksonville University.
 
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