OMAHA, Neb. — Chicago State lost to Louisiana Tech 3-0 (23-25, 8-25, 16-25) on Thursday. CSU hit .094 with 28 kills and no aces, while Louisiana Tech totaled 40 kills and nine aces. This match was the opening match of the Omaha Tournament.

After Nayella George's kill from Kristine Bakhad tied the opening set at 1-1, Louisiana Tech moved in front 4-1 behind a Tyra McKinnie kill, a Riley Steubing ace and a CSU attack error, then stretched the margin to 7-3 after an Emerson Traylor ace. The Cougars worked back with kills from Camryn McCollum, Nina Mitchell and George, plus blocks involving Graci Littlejohn, Jenesis Perrin and McCollum, pulling within 16-15 on a Louisiana Tech attack error. Chicago State stayed within 19-18 on a block by George and Mitchell, and after Louisiana Tech went ahead 21-18, kills by Mitchell and George came before a Littlejohn-Bakhad block that tied the set at 21-21. Louisiana Tech scored the next two points for a 23-21 lead, George answered at 23-22 and 24-23, and Kylie Rodriguez's kill closed the set for Louisiana Tech, 25-23.

After Perrin answered an opening ace to tie the second set at 1-1, Louisiana Tech moved ahead 8-2 behind kills from Tyra McKinnie, Sydnee Carter, Zari Gillispie and Taylor Woods. Perrin added another kill to make it 8-3, but Louisiana Tech pushed the margin to 12-3 on three CSU errors before McCollum stopped that stretch with a kill. A six-point run with Abbi Sells serving carried Louisiana Tech to 19-4, including a Sells ace and kills by Emerson Traylor, Jenna Hehman, Gabrielle Hairston, Gillispie and Sells. The Cougars got late kills from McCollum and Littlejohn, but Louisiana Tech reached set point on Hehman's ace and closed the set 25-8 on a Woods kill.

Chicago State recovered from a 2-0 deficit in the third set, with Mitchell and Perrin combining on a block that tied it at 2-2. Louisiana Tech moved back in front and built a 9-3 lead with five straight points, a stretch that included a Taylor Woods kill and four CSU attack errors, before Littlejohn stopped it with a kill. The set continued to move toward Louisiana Tech as Abbi Sells and Sydnee Carter added service aces and Jenna Hehman's kill made it 15-6, though the Cougars answered in spots with kills from George, McCollum and Littlejohn. After trailing 21-11, Chicago State scored four straight behind a Littlejohn kill and a Mitchell-Bakhad block, but Louisiana Tech took the final three points after George's kill made it 22-16 and closed the set 25-16.

George led CSU with 10 kills while hitting .348 and added seven digs. Bakhad finished with 24 assists, three digs and two block assists. McCollum added eight kills and five digs, while Mitchell recorded four block assists and three kills.

Tyra McKinnie led Louisiana Tech with 10 kills on 15 attacks and added a block assist. Emerson Traylor finished with 16 assists, two kills on two attacks, an ace and three digs. Sydnee Carter added 14 assists, three service aces and three kills on five attacks. Abbi Sells recorded three service aces and six digs while converting her only attack.

Up next, Chicago State is set to face Western Michigan University on Friday, Sept. 4, at 2 p.m. in the Omaha Tournament.