BOX SCORE
Prairie View A&M junior middle blocker Amelia Velez served nine-consecutive times against Grambling State to start the match off for the Lady Panthers in a showing of sheer-early dominance and execution by her team. Prairie View A&M rode that momentum the entire match for a 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-14) win at the Baby Dome in its Southwestern Athletic Conference opener Thursday night.
The Lady Panthers jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first set and never looked back, winning 25-12. The set started out with precise serving by Velez and ended with back-to-back service aces by the junior from Imlay, Mich. She finished the night with four kills and four service aces.
Sophomore outside hitter Charae Caldwell had a career-night against Grambling State, setting a new high in kills with 11 to complement a .375 attack percentage. She put on a show in Set 3, lighting up Grambling State with six kills off of a .455 attack percentage. Junior setter Kelsey Espinosa also turned it on in the third set, picking up 12-of-her-28 assists. She finished by putting down five kills and had a .556 attack percentage. It also marked the seventh time this season Espinosa, the three-time defending SWAC Newcomer Of The Week, finished a match with 25 or more assists.
The Lady Panthers (4-13), who have won back-to-back games for the first time this season, head to Lake Charles, La. to play McNeese State at 7 p.m. on Sunday.
