Miles' chance to make a late-season run towards a SIAC Tournament spot took a dubious turn on Saturday after the Lady Bears dropped a straight-set contest (25-17, 25-20, 25-21) against Tuskegee at Knox-Windham Gymnasium. Now, the final playoff spot would be available if the team wins its final two league contests - at Spring Hill and Tuskegee - and got a little help along the way.

That the young Lady Bears (4-20, 4-13 SIAC West) entered the contest with the Golden Tigers still in the playoff conversation is a testament to their growth and resilience throughout the 2024 campaign. While those traits shone on Saturday, it was not enough to get Miles past a Tuskegee attack that produced a .333 hitting percentage with stifling play at the net.

The Lady Bears got early kills from Kayla Trawick, Jadyn McGhee and Trinidy Gaines (5-2-7, .429) to take a 6-3 lead in the opening set. But Tuskegee used a divergent attack, getting kills from eight different players during a 13-4 run that turned a close match into a comfortable win for the Golden Tigers. The second set, again, saw Tuskegee jump out to a big lead. But four errors sandwiched a kill from Gaines that cut the deficit to 18-16. Unfortunately, Miles did not get any closer as TU got back-to-back kills to close out the set for a 2-0 advantage.

The final set featured several wild momentum swings. Tuskegee took a 6-2 lead before Miles went on a run. Trawick had two kills, Kendall Townsend (4-3-12) added another, and a service ace from Saraih Taylor put the Lady Bears on top, 9-8. The Golden Tigers, though, would answer with seven straight points to go back in front. Still down by six with time running out, Miles continued to grind its way back into the match. Kills by Trawick, Laylah Sanders (4-4-9) and Aaliyah Sanders brought the Lady Bears within three points. Even facing match point, Kayla Hill (two kills, nine assists) and Townsend ran together three straight kills before Tuskegee closed it out.

Trawick (11-5-23, .261) added five digs and a block, Taylor had a team-high 16 assists and Aaliyah Sanders had a team-high 10 digs and three assists for Miles, which hosts Stillman in its final home match of the season on Monday. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.