FLORENCE – Tennessee State held off the North Alabama volleyball team for a pair of close wins before pulling away in the third set to complete a 3-0 sweep Tuesday evening at Flowers Hall. UNA falls to 2-8 on the season following the 25-23, 25-23, 25-13 loss.

The Tigers recorded nine blocks on the match and held the Lions to a .136 hitting percentage. UNA also did not have a player reach double figures in kills.

The first two sets went down to the wire. Tennessee State broke a 22-22 tie late in the opener, scoring three of the next four points to get the win. In the second set, a UNA rally came up just short. The Lions trailed 24-20 before scoring three straight points. A block by Megan Zuck cut the deficit to 24-23 before TSU's Khalia Jordan ended the frame with a kill.

The Tigers led wire to wire in the final set, hitting .261 while holding the home team to a .038 clip.

Morgan Madasz led the Lions with nine kills. The freshman from Saint Petersburg, Fla., also hit .333 on the night and added three blocks. Mariana Trujillo had 17 assists while Breylee Linder turned in 11 assists for UNA. Defensively, Alyssa Dutton led the way with 10 digs.

Julia Pierson led Tennessee State (6-6) with 11 kills.

UNA will now turn its attention the 2019 Beale Street Challenge over the weekend. The Lions will play three matches on the campus of the University of Memphis , beginning with a showdown against the host Tigers at 10 a.m. on Friday.