NASHVILLE  -  SIUE volleyball dropped a straight-set decision at Tennessee State on Friday night (19-25, 16-25, 14-25).

The Cougars aimed to spoil the Tigers' senior night in a match with major postseason implications, but a potent attacking effort from TSU through the entire match proved too much for the Red & White to overcome, allowing the Tigers to hit .500 in both opening frames before holding them to a .314 clip in the third set. 

"Tonight was tough," said SIUE Head Coach Kendall Paulus following the match. "We never got into any rhythm offensively and it carried over to defense. TSU played a great match - they were extremely low error and aggressive when out of system. We lost all the small points and plays at the net, and we know if we can't get kills fast we have to be great in those situations. Those points hurt us."

Julia Treichel led the Cougars with nine kills and three digs, followed by Annie Ellis and Savannah Christian with five to their credit. Alyse Drifka led the Red & White with 19 assists, while Nicole Kijowski recorded a team-best nine digs on the night.

The Cougars will finish out the series with Tennessee State tomorrow at 2 p.m. in a match that will be streamed live on ESPN+.