FORT VALLEY, Ga.- The Savannah State volleyball team closed out their four-game road swing with a 3-1 win over Fort Valley State on October 24, 2023, in a match played on the FVSU campus at the HPE Complex.
 
Destinee Langston and Tiana Curry led the way for the Lady Tigers with each getting a double-double. Langston had 15 kills and 13 digs while Curry added 10 kills and 14 digs.
 
The win gives SSU a 12-9 overall record which ties the school record which was set last season. The victory also stopped a three-game losing skid as they evened their conference record to 8-8.
 
The teams traded 25—20 wins in the first two sets as the Lady Tigers won the opening set and FVSU claimed victory in the second set.
 
The final two sets belonged to SSU as they won 25-20 and 25-15.
 
SSU trailed 14-15 in the first set but scored five straight points to go ahead 19-15, following kills by Jessee Grubesic and Langston and a block by Destiny Gaines. Ahead 19-18, Savannah State ended the set outscoring the Wildcats 6-2 as Gaines had two blocks and Langston, Allena Norton and Curry all had a kill.
 
Fort Valley State jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the second set  but SSU chipped away at their deficit and used a 5-0 run to take a 17-16 lead. With the set tied at 18, FSVU finished the set with a 7-2 surge.
 
In the third set, SSU held a 19-18 advantage and added to that with a 5-1 run to increase their lead to 24-19.
 
Kills by Norton and Langston along with a block by Curry and a pair of service aces from AaLiyah Mitchell helped SSU race out to a 6-1 lead in the fourth set. The Wildcats closed their gap to 7-6 but Savannah State responded with a 8-1 run to go ahead 15-7.  Leading 19-13, the Lady Tigers used kills by Norton and Curry, a block by Grubesic and a service ace by Curry to go ahead by 10 with a 4-0 spurt.
 
Norton had 14 kills and 4 blocks for SSU while  Mitchell had 4 service aces, Gaines had 4 blocks, Grubesic had 40 assists and Kloe Ludy had 20 digs.
 
FVSU (10-13, 5-11 SIAC) was led by Hallea Gibbs (8 kills), Brooke Matthews (5 aces and 4 blocks). Morgan Herbert (27 assists) and Kaila Copeland (10 digs).
 
Savannah State will return to Tiger Arena to finish the season with a three-game home stand, starting with Clark Atlanta on October 27 at 6 p.m.
 
A win over the Panthers would give SSU a new school record of most wins in a single season.
 
Following the match with CAU, the lady Tigers will host Edward Waters on Oct. 30 and Allen on November 1.