TUSKEGEE, Ala. – The Stillman College volleyball team took a step up in competition to face NCAA Division II opponent Tuskegee University Golden Tigers, but Stillman came up short and fell in three sets to Tuskegee 25-22, 25-20, and 26-24.

Stillman fell to 0-4 with the loss, while Tuskegee (1-0) opened the 2025 season with a win. 

Paige Eason led the way with 11 kills on a .421 attack percentage. Raine Patterson and Ava Cameron both posted six kills. Kelis Conley and Shelby Morris collected four service aces.

Erin Nelson passed a team-leading 11 assists, with Conley finishing just behind her with nine. 

Defensively, Zoey Sales tied for the match lead with 15 digs, while Shelby Morris had 10 and Gracie Fjeldstad collected nine digs. Brianna Moore and Cameron record a block each. 

In the opening set, Tuskegee jumped out to a 13-4 advantage before Stillman rallied to a 10-6 run to cut the score to 19-14. After both teams went back and forth to 23-18, Stillman put together three straight points, capped by a kill from Patterson to cut the lead to 23-21. However, the Golden Tigers took control to win 25-22 in the opener. 

Despite Tuskegee jumping out to an early lead in the second, the Tigers battled to tie the match at 10-10 after an ace from Morris. From there, the lead changed seven times until Stillman held a 19-18 advantage. Tuskegee responded by scoring seven of the next eight points to win the second set. 

The third set was a back-and-forth affair with 16 ties and lead changes. Stillman held a late 24-23 lead after an attack error from Zariah Messick, but the Golden Tigers rallied with three consecutive kills to put the match away and secure a 26-24 set win and a 3-0 match victory. 

Stillman College returns to action Thursday, Sept. 11, for the home and Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference opener against Talladega College set for 6 p.m. in Birthright Alumni Hall.