Lady Bulldogs Fall to UT Southern

NASHVILLE—Iyanla Thigpen had 14 kills, and Berlynn Muldrow added 11, but it was not enough as the Fisk Lady Bulldogs (18-12) fell to the UT Southern Lady Firehawks (22-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-12) in a highly contested non-conference match inside the Henderson A. Johnson Arena.

Thigpen had a huge game, swinging at a .419 clip. She also added two blocks, two service aces, and three digs. Fisk's attackers were set up nicely by the freshmen duo of Nebthet Re, who had 22 assists, and Trinity Britt added 17. On defense, the Lady Bulldogs had 83 digs, with Jadyn Brackens scooping up a game-high 27 and Nialah Gupton getting 15.

The loss gave the Lady Firehawks a sweep of the season series. For UTS, Morgan Avrit had a game-high 19 kills, and Emma Beardsley added 17 with a blistering .389 hitting percentage.

Set 1| 22-25 Late Rally Fuels UTS

Fisk scored the first two points, but it became a see-saw battle through most of the set. Back and A Kaidence Morton kill gave the Lady Bulldogs their largest lead of the set at 22-19, forcing UTS to call a timeout. The Firehawks went on a 3-0 run to tie it, causing a Lady Bulldog timeout. UTS kept the momentum after the break, scoring the final three points. The Firehawks had 17 kills in the set and a .250 hitting percentage.

Set 2| 25-21 Lady Bulldogs Outlasts Southern with Late Lift From Johnson

The Lady Bulldogs started the second set fast, by going on a 3-0 run early to force a UTS timeout after an ace by Trinity Britt. The two teams traded 3-0 runs to give Fisk the lead at 9-6. Kailynn Johnson then went on a tear, getting kills on points 20, 21, and 22 for the Lady Bulldogs.

After Fisk made the score 23-19, UTS called their second timeout of the set. After the break, the Lady Bulldogs forced a set point to give them the largest lead of the set at 24-19. The Firehawks scored the two points but couldn't get any closer.

Set 3| 23-25 Thigpen Big Set Not Enough

The most highly contested set of the match started with the Lady Bulldogs getting the first point after a long rally featuring some spectacular saves by both teams. With the score tied at four, Fisk looked to take control of the pivotal set by scoring the following four points. UTS' 5-0 run gave them a 12-10 lead, forcing a Lady Bulldog timeout.

Thigpen then tried to put her team on her back. The senior transfer from Chicago scored points 13 and 14 to fuel a 5-2 run, giving her team the lead at 15-14. UTS clawed back on a 3-0 run to go up 17-15, forcing Fisk to call another timeout. Thigpen got busy again, scoring the Lady Bulldogs' 16^th, 18^th, and 19^th points on kills and their 20^th on a service ace. Her play helped her team to take a 22-20 lead.

The Firehawks then scored four points to go up 24-22. A kill by Britt made it 24-23, forcing UTS to call a timeout. The Firehawks got the next point, finishing the set on a 5-1 run.

Set 4| 12-25 Slow Start Dooms Fisk in Final Set

The Lady Bulldogs started the final set, giving up the first six points before a Muldrow kill stopped the run. UTS increased the lead to 10-2, forcing Fisk to call a timeout. The Firehawks increased the lead to 19-4. Muldrow then got two consecutive kills during a 3-0 Fisk run to make it 19-7 before UTS finished off the set.

UT Southern was efficient during the set, swinging at a .324 clip while holding Fisk to a .033 swinging percentage.

The Lady Bulldogs will play their final GCAC match on Thursday when they take on the Oakwood Lady Ambassadors at 6 p.m. at Fisk.