TUSKEGEE, Ala. – The Tuskegee University volleyball team will open its 2024 season in the friendly confines of the Daniel "Chappie" James Center this Tuesday as the program plays host to Stillman College. First serve is set for 5 p.m. CT. The game will also be the debut of the volleyball program on the Golden Tigers Sports Network.

DATE/TIME:  Tuesday, September 3, 5 p.m. CT
LOCATION: Tuskegee, Ala. (Daniel "Chappie" James Center)
STATS: GoldenTigerSports.com/sidearmstats
WATCH: Golden Tiger Sports Network
LAST MEETING: W, 3-1, 11/19/2015, Birmingham, Ala.

ABOUT TUSKEGEE (0-0)
Tuskegee will be looking to build on the momentum from last season that saw them qualify for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) tournament for the first time in since 2018.

The Golden Tigers return a bulk of their lineup and will look to get contributions from the eight combined newcomers, that includes five transfers and three freshmen.
 
Preseason Second Team All-SIAC Moriah Seay returns for her senior year after leading the team last season with 274 kills and 325 digs. The senior also added 66 blocks, 32 aces and 15 assists. Seay ranked sixth in total points and ninth in points per set in the SIAC on her way to 14 double-digit kill games and 16 double-digit dig contests, including three with over 20 digs.

Other returning starters for TU include Mikea Allen, Kayla Coleman, Sian Sprinkle, and Trinity Winningham, who started a combined 124 matches over the last two seasons. Allen, a junior, led the Golden Tigers with 467 assists in 2023 and surpassed 750 for her career, along with recording 237 digs and 24 service aces last season.
 
Meanwhile, sophomores Coleman, Sprinkle, and Winningham will all look to improve on their debut seasons. Coleman finished the year second on the team with 165 kills, 54 digs, and 25 blocks. Sprinkle accounted for 140 kills and a team-high 88 blocks last season, while Winningham showed balance on both sides with 139 kills and along with 255 digs.

The matchup with Stillman will be the first since a 3-1 win for Tuskegee on November, 19, 2015 in Birmingham.

ABOUT STILLMAN (0-4)
Stillman comes into the match at 0-4 so far after competing over the weekend in the Talladega College Tournament. The Tigers were swept in three of the four matches, to Point, Johnson University, and Truett McConnell, before falling 3-1 to Life to end the weekend.
 
Stillman is led by first year head coach Theresa Berry-Franks. So far, they are led on court by Paige Eason, who started all four matches and posted 21 kills and 24 digs. The sophomore leads four players who have double figure kills, a list that includes Katelyn Lawson (17), Raine Patterson (17), and Ava Cameron (13).
 
Defensively, Erin Nelson led the way for the Tigers in the tournament, earning 27 digs, followed by four others who had 11 or more digs.

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