RUSTON, La. – With 10 matches away from home under their belts, the Louisiana Tech volleyball team earned a well-deserved home victory, defeating Jackson State 3-1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-16) on Tuesday evening from the Thomas Assembly Center.
 
LA Tech (3-8) fell behind early in the match, dropping the first set, as the Lady Tigers (1-8) held Tech to just a 0.28 hitting percentage in the first frame. However, Tech had a big response, taking the second and third sets, 25-17 and then closing out the match with a 25-16 final in set four.
 
"I'm happy in how our team responded to Jackson State's defense in sets 2-4," head coach Adriano de Souza said. "We took a lot of swings, looking for points and they did a great job keeping the ball in play. Our team kept working hard and stayed calm and were able to find points to earn the victory tonight. It's great to be back home after travelling the first three weekends. This win was built on teamwork, and I am sure the team will keep working hard to build on this night."
 
Tech saw one of its most balanced offensive efforts of the season in the win, as Lara Hendricks (15 kills), Madeline Davis (10 kills) and Carter Mirich (10 kills) all notched double-digit kill efforts. Freshman Jordyn Carswell added 10 kills of her own, while Marie-Helene Verlinden chipped in four.
 
Defensively, Tech out-blocked Jackson State 11 to 7, propelled by five total blocks from both Verlinden and Davis. Four different Techsters finished the evening with double-digit digs (Carswell-10, Abigail Hildenbrand – 10, Alyssa Zucco – 15 and Mirich-16). Mirich (10 kills and 16 digs) and Hildenbrand (38 assists and 10 digs) both finished with double-doubles on the evening.
 
As a team, Tech was deadly behind the service line, notching seven aces – three of which came from Verlinden, while Jackson State mustered just three.
 
In the first set, there were a total of four lead changes and eight ties, as the Lady Tigers took the early 1-0 match lead. However, Tech responded in a big way, and trailed just one time the entirety of the rest of the match, in a dominating final three sets.
 
The Techsters will head back out on the road this weekend, taking on Northern Kentucky, Oral Roberts and the host SIUE Cougars in a three-match tournament, beginning on Friday, September 14.