BOX SCORE
The Prairie View A&M volleyball team improved its Southwestern Athletic Conference record to 6-1 after a close 3-2 victory over Southern Thursday night at the William Nicks Building.
The Lady Panthers jumped out to a 2-0 lead and seemed to have the match in the bag, but after wavering in the third set and dropping the game 26-24, Prairie View A&M stumbled in the fourth set in a 25-13 loss - leading to a deciding match in the fifth.
In the fifth set, down 0-2 to Southern, the Lady Panthers went on a 9-1 run to take total control of the set and win it 15-6. Senior outside hitter Breanna McNeil set the pace with a service ace to give the Lady Panthers a 3-2 lead. Southern added to Prairie View A&M's cause with four attack errors during the run. McNeil led Prairie View A&M with 15 kills with a .200 attack percentage.
Junior setter Kelsey Espinosa, who led the team with 39 assists, also set set up junior middle blocker Amelia Velez (12 kills, .308 attack percentage) and freshman right side Rachel Owens with 10 kills.
Sophomore libero LaKeisha Allen and junior defensive specialist Monecia Preston led the Lady Panthers defensively. Allen had a team-high 15 digs and Preston complemented her performance with an 11-dig night.
With the win, Prairie View A&M (10-18, 6-1 SWAC) increased its lead in the SWAC Western Division and will host Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a pivotal conference match at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 1 at the William Nicks Building.
