BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - After taking the opening two sets of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Championship opener, Clark Atlanta needed to rally for a five-set victory in the opening round.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Clark Atlanta 3, Tuskegee 2  (27-25, 25-22, 15-25, 19-25, 15-11)
Record: Clark Atlanta (13-12; 11-7 SIAC), Tuskegee (17-12; 13-8 SIAC)
Date: Nov. 18, 2015 | Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: CrossPlex | Birmingham, Ala.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Clark Atlanta, despite being victorious, was out hit by Tuskegee, .154-.126.

Clark Atlanta won the opening two sets, 27-25 and 25-22, before falling in the next two sets setting up the deciding fifth set.
 
In the final set, TU led 7-4 quickly. 
 
A 7-1 run in the middle of the set gave CAU the 13-9 advantage.  All seven points scored in favor of CAU were the result of errors by TU.
 
The final four points of the match went back-and-forth between the two teams.  The match point was scored on a Cori Smith kill with the assist from Kiara Govan.
 
THE NUMBERS:
Clark Atlanta trailed in the major categories; points, 73-65, kills, 62-49, assists, 56-49, and digs, 74-61.  CAU did manage to win the battle at the nets in blocks, 13-8.
 
CAU recorded the highest set hitting percentage on the first set, .250, while Tuskegee hit .321 in the third set.
 
Smith registered game-highs in kills (26) and aces (two) while also chipping in with seven digs.
 
Sabrina Tucker blocked a match-high nine shots with Tyler Williams adding seven - more than the highest from Tuskegee.
 
Govan contributed 45 assists.
 
Sierra Scoggins added 13 kills during the match.
 
Alexis Williams (15) and Briana Aldridge (10) each had double-digit dig performances. 
 
UP NEXT:
Round 2 will be played on Thurs., Nov. 19 from the Birmingham CrossPlex.  Clark Atlanta will play first at noon versus Claflin.  The winner gets a pass to Fri., but the loser will return to the court Thur. at 3:00 p.m.