Lady Panthers Split Two Consecutive Matches

Thursday, October 01, 2009 11:19 PM

Prairie View-The Prairie View A&M University Volleyball team split two matches after playing on consecutive nights.

Losing to the Grambling State Lady Tigers in a close fought match on Wednesday the Lady Panthers regrouped and defeated Huston-Tillotson Lady Rams in three straight sets at William J. Nicks gymnasium in Prairie View, Texas.

Despite battling with Grambling, the Lady Panthers lost 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, and 25-23). Prairie View started off well and even opened up a 13-9 before Grambling rallied to take the lead and held off the Lady Panthers in the first set.

In the second set Prairie View again took an early advantage before Grambling used a 18-5 run to pull away and win 25-14. Coming into the third set the Lady Panthers used a 7-0 run to take a 9-5 lead before Grambling rallied back to tie the set up at 12-12. The teams played close the rest of the way before the Lady Tigers held on to win 25-23 in the final set.

Freshman outside hitter Sapphire Reid and junior Cheri Lindsay both led the Lady Panthers with eight kills. Both also recorded six digs.

Looking to make amends, the Lady Panthers fought a spirited effort in every set to defend against every challenge from Huston-Tillotson.

Latoya Taylor led the Lady Panthers with eight kills hitting a .222 percentage. Taylor also recorded two digs and one block. Sharonda Marshall also contributed in the win with seven kills to go along with two digs and two blocks.

Other Lady Panther to contribute to the win were Cheri Lindsay with five kills, five digs, and one block. Erin Fondel also added one kill and led the team with 26 assists.

The Lady Panthers jumped out to an early advantage 15-6, before the Lady Rams used a 7-0 run to close within two. Tied at 19, the Lady Panthers finished the set with a 6-3 run to win 25-22. In the next set, Huston-Tillotson stayed close before building a 22-19 advantage late in the set. Not to be denied, the Lady Panthers closed the set on a 7-2 run to win 26-24.

In the final set, Prairie View again struggled to put the pesky Lady Rams away but a 7-1 run turned a 15-14 advantage into a 22-15 lead and the Lady Panthers never let the lead slip lower than 5, winning 25-19.

“I think our passing and our communication improved, however we need to continue to work on both,” said Prairie View assistant coach Emil Chuidian. “I was happy about the way they rallied back when they were down considering the number of substitutes we had to use during the set”.

The Lady Panthers continue play at home on Friday, October 2, 2009 against the University of Texas-San Antonio at 4 PM.