PULASKI, Tenn. — The Life University women's volleyball team dropped a hard-fought five-set match Friday night, falling 18–25, 25–16, 22–25, 25–21, 15–13 to Tennessee Southern in SSAC play at the Curry Athletic Complex.
The Running Eagles opened strong, hitting .282 in the first set while committing only four attack errors. Paola Vega, Erica Irby, and Jade Watson each tallied multiple early kills as Life U controlled the frame from start to finish, taking it 25–18.
The Firehawks answered in the second, capitalizing on 10 Life U attack errors and a pair of aces to pull even with a 25–16 win.
Life U responded in the third with one of its best offensive efforts of the night, hitting .290 as Vega and Irby combined for timely kills down the stretch. A late surge from Jade Watson closed out the 25–22 set, giving the Running Eagles a 2–1 match advantage.
Tennessee Southern evened the contest again in set four, using key blocks and service pressure to edge Life 25–21 and force a deciding fifth. The final frame featured six ties and three lead changes before the Firehawks pulled ahead late to win 15–13 and secure the match.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Life U recorded 59 kills on a .144 hitting percentage (59 K, 33 E, 180 TA).
– Tennessee Southern finished with 49 kills and hit .148 (49 K, 24 E, 169 TA).
– Life held a 7–6 edge in service aces but committed 11 service errors to UTS's seven.
– The Firehawks led at the net with 12.0 total blocks compared to Life's 8.0.
– The Running Eagles finished with 85 digs, while Tennessee Southern totaled 78.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
– Erica Irby led Life with 16 kills on a .231 hitting percentage and added six digs.
– Paola Vega matched with 16 kills, hit a team-best .353, and contributed four digs and a block assist.
– Jade Watson finished with 13 kills, three total blocks, and 15.0 points.
– Esosa Ehigiator recorded three kills and a team-high six total blocks.
– Reign Jarin anchored the back row with 15 digs, eight assists, and two service aces.
– Victoria Davenport added 17 digs, three aces, and five assists.
– Gabriela Rivera dished out a team-high 24 assists and added 13 digs.
– Fabiana Cruz contributed 11 assists and seven digs.
