No. 21 Walters State drops five-setter to Jackson State

JACKSON, TN – No. 21 Walters State bounced back from a two-set deficit to Jackson State on Friday evening, but the comeback fell just short as the Lady Senators fell 3-2 (25-22, 25-21, 21-25, 18-25, 15-7). 

With the loss, Walters State fell to 6-4 on the season and 1-1 in TCCAA play. 

For the Lady Senators, Annah Cate Hyatt led the way with 13 digs, 25 assists and two aces. Other contributors for Walters State were Preslee Quertermous with six kills and five aces, Veda Barton with 13 kills, four aces and four blocks, Payton Brown with 20 digs, Davanie Tarleton with seven kills, two blocks and an ace and Isabelle Brickey with 11 kills and nine digs. 

After dropping the first two sets, the Lady Senators came out on fire in set three, scoring seven of the first eight points thanks in part to two aces from Quertermous. The lead grew to 13-5 following a kill by Barton, but Jackson State eventually tied the set back up at 15. Walters State got back on track and went up 24-17 thanks to an ace by Barton and kills from Hyatt and Quertermous. Jackson State scored four points to keep the set alive, but Hyatt had a kill that closed the set out at 25-21. 

In set four, the Lady Senators scored the first five points. Quertermous had three more aces while Tarleton picked up a kill. Tarleton had another kill and an ace that made it 7-4, and it was 10-8 following a kill by Barton. The two teams were tied for the next little bit, but a block by Tarleton and a kill by Barton gave Walters State separation at 14-11. 

The two teams again tied, this time at 15, 16 and 17, but Walters State scored four straight to go up 21-17. The Lady Senators kept things going, and an ace by Barton helped Walters State close the set out at 25-18.

Unfortunately for Walters State, the fifth set saw Jackson State score six of the first eight points. The Green Jays never looked back and closed the set and match out.

Up Next:

Walters State will have a quick turnaround on Saturday, taking on Dyersburg State on the road. The match is set to begin at 3 pm ET.