Alabama A&M Defeats Tennessee State 3-1 Behind Rayishon Jackman’s 15 Kills
Alabama A&M used a balanced offensive attack and a strong response after dropping the third set to defeat Tennessee State 3-1 Tuesday night in Huntsville.
The Bulldogs won 25-19, 25-15, 26-28, 25-17, improving to 7-7 on the season. Tennessee State fell to 0-11 despite extending the match with its best offensive set of the night in the third.
Rayishon Jackman led Alabama A&M with 15 kills while hitting .324, while Amya Jennings added 14 kills and Gerren Tomlin finished with 13. The Bulldogs totaled 57 kills and hit .213 as a team.
Alabama A&M Takes Opening Set 25-19
Tennessee State started aggressively, responding to Alabama A&M's opening point with four straight to take a 4-1 lead.
The Bulldogs gradually erased the deficit, and the teams were tied at 9-9 before Alabama A&M began creating separation. A 6-3 stretch forced Tennessee State to call timeout, but the Tigers were unable to regain control.
Alabama A&M maintained its advantage through the remainder of the set and secured a 25-19 victory to take the early match lead.
The Bulldogs then produced an even stronger performance in the second.
Bulldogs Dominate Second Set
Alabama A&M's offense found another level in the second frame while its defense made life increasingly difficult for Tennessee State.
The Bulldogs hit .296 in the set and limited the Tigers to nine kills. Tennessee State also committed 12 attacking errors as Alabama A&M pulled away for a convincing 25-15 victory.
Alabama A&M entered the break with a 2-0 advantage and appeared positioned to complete a sweep.
Tennessee State, however, responded with its strongest stretch of the match.
Tennessee State Forces Fourth Set With 28-26 Win
The Tigers dramatically improved their offensive execution in the third set.
Tennessee State produced 17 kills on 33 attacks with only five errors, finishing the frame with a .364 hitting percentage.
Neither team could create much separation.
The third set featured eight ties and two lead changes, eventually moving beyond the normal 25-point finish. Tennessee State finally broke through for a 28-26 victory, cutting Alabama A&M's match lead to 2-1.
The extended set gave the Tigers an opportunity to force a deciding fifth frame, but Alabama A&M responded immediately.
Alabama A&M Finishes Match in Fourth
Tennessee State again started quickly in the fourth.
After Alabama A&M scored the first point, the Tigers answered with five consecutive points to take an early advantage.
The Bulldogs remained composed, worked their way back into the set and eventually regained control. Alabama A&M then pulled away for a 25-17 victory, ending Tennessee State's comeback attempt and securing the match in four sets.
The Bulldogs recorded 16 kills and hit .231 in the fourth set, providing the offensive response they needed after dropping the previous frame.
Jackman Leads Balanced Alabama A&M Attack
Jackman was at the center of Alabama A&M's offensive success.
She finished with 15 kills and a .324 hitting percentage, while also recording 10 digs. Jennings followed closely with 14 kills while hitting .300, and Tomlin contributed 13 kills.
Having three players reach double-digit kills helped the Bulldogs maintain offensive pressure throughout the four-set match.
Briana Smith directed the offense with 31 assists, while Kelani Talakai led the Bulldogs defensively with 28 digs.
As a team, Alabama A&M finished with 57 kills, 51 assists, 73 digs and eight service aces while hitting .213.
Tennessee State Gets Production From Jakubik and Jackson
Tennessee State had several individual performances to build on despite the loss.
Wiktoria Jakubik led the Tigers with 10 kills and was active defensively at the net, finishing with two solo blocks and three block assists.
Sydney Robinson added eight kills on 15 swings while hitting .267.
Freshman setter Triniti Jackson delivered one of Tennessee State's most efficient performances. She recorded seven kills on 12 attempts with only one error, giving her a team-best .500 hitting percentage.
Jackson also distributed 28 assists, collected six digs and contributed three total blocks.
Jordan Imperial led Tennessee State with 12 digs and recorded both of the Tigers' service aces.
Julia Culpepper Returns From Knee Injury
Tuesday also marked an important return for Tennessee State.
Julia Culpepper made her first start of the 2026 season after returning from a knee injury. She immediately contributed seven kills and 10 digs while playing all four sets.
Culpepper was one of three Tennessee State players to finish with double-digit digs, joining Imperial and Jakubik.
At the net, Gabrielle Washington contributed two solo blocks and five block assists, while Jakubik finished with five total blocks.
Bulldogs Improve to 7-7
The final team numbers reflected Alabama A&M's offensive advantage.
The Bulldogs recorded 57 kills compared with Tennessee State's 41 and finished with a .213 hitting percentage. The Tigers hit .107.
Tennessee State's third-set response prevented a sweep, but Alabama A&M answered when the pressure increased in the fourth.
Jackman, Jennings and Tomlin gave the Bulldogs three consistent attacking options, while Smith managed the offense and Talakai anchored the back row.
The victory moves Alabama A&M to 7-7 overall. The Bulldogs will next travel to face Bethune-Cookman on Friday, Sept. 25, at 6 p.m.









