Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Louisiana Tech clawed its way to a thrilling five-set victory over Jackson State (25-23, 23-25, 16-25, 13-25, 15-13) in its home opener Thursday night inside the Thomas Assembly Center.
LA Tech (4-4) struck first with a pair of tight set wins before Jackson State (0-6) answered by taking control of the next two frames. Facing a deciding fifth set, the Bulldogs regrouped and leaned on clutch play at the net in the deciding set, where kills from Jailen Hurley and Zari Gillispie proved pivotal in a 15-13 finish that sent the home crowd home happy.
“That is a quality win,” said head coach Scott Mattera. “You look at their record and you see the zero wins but look who they have played and played tough. They took Southeastern Louisiana to five and their place. Jackson State won 19 matches last season. They have some athletes. They were digging everything. For a while there, we let our frustration get the best of us.
“But we try to respond rather than react. For a while there we were reacting instead of responding. I could not be happier with how we came out in game five. It is hard to change momentum and that momentum was gone. They decided to respond instead of react in game five and played with a ton of confidence.”
The Bulldogs set the tone early with balanced play at the net. Kills from Hurley and Carla Esquer helped LA Tech build a cushion, but JSU rallied late to pull within one. With the Tigers threatening, Hurley came through with a clutch kill to close out the tight opener 25-23.
JSU took control in the second set thanks to an 8-0 run that gave the Tigers a 14-9 lead. Down 22-19, the Bulldogs got a spark from Grace Luevanos delivering a kill then a service ace which led to a 6-1 run and another 25-23 set win.
The momentum completely shifted in the third as JSU grabbed control, capitalizing on miscues and posting a .387 attack percentage to secure a 25-16 decision.
Momentum stayed with Jackson State as the visitors dominated at the net and in transition, hitting .438 as a team. The Bulldogs could not slow the Tiger offense, falling 25-13, and suddenly found themselves in another five-set battle just like in the season opener.
With the match on the line, LA Tech regrouped and showed resilience. Hurley sparked the Bulldogs with five kills in the set, while Gillispie and Williams delivered timely blocks. After trading points deep into the frame, LA Tech got match point following a block by Charlize Williams and Sydnee Carter. JSU fought off one match point, but the Tigers dumped a serve into the net to give the Bulldogs a 15-13 win.
Hurley finished with a team-high 13 kills on a .429 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, Gabrielle Hairston matched her season high with 10 kills, followed by Esquer who had nine.
Three Bulldogs reached double-digit assists – Carter (17), Grace Krohn (16), and Emerson Traylor (10). Defensively, Riley Steubing paced everyone with 20 digs (third game this season with 20+).
LA Tech will be back in action tonight to face ULM in the night cap of the Bulldog Bash in the TAC. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
