GRAMBLING, La. – The Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers picked up their first Southwestern Athletic Conference victory of the season Tuesday, defeating Grambling State in four sets.
 
The only thing hotter than the temperature at the un-air conditioned Memorial Gymnasium on Tuesday was the spirit of competition between two teams looking for their first conference victory. Scores of the match were 25-22, 22-25, 25-23, and 29-27.
 
Candyce Alexander and Mariah Cox knocked down 15 kills apiece to lead the Lady Panthers (7-15), who improved to 1-3 in SWAC play. Ana Kiso handed out 40 assists, while LaKeisha Allen led the PVAMU defensive effort with 22 digs.
 
Playing against Grambling State for the second time this season, the Lady Panthers faced off against a Tigers squad that had shown much improvement since Prairie View A&M swept the previous meeting at the TCU Nike Invitational. While the Lady Panthers built leads of seven or more points in the first and fourth sets, the Tigers proved resilient and came within striking distance of the lead every time.
 
The Panthers had the upper hand early in set one, stretching their lead to as much as seven at 20-13, but the Tigers (2-19, 0-5 SWAC) closed the gap before the Cox picked up the last two points for PVAMU. The junior transfer from New Mexico Military Institute had eight kills and only one error after the first set.
 
Grambling's fighting spirit in the first set spilled over into the second as the Lady Tigers kept pace with the Panthers throughout the frame. The Panthers had the upper hand at 22-20, but the Tigers reeled off five consecutive points to tie the match at one.
 
After a narrow win in set three, the Panthers jumped out to leads of 8-2 and 17-10 in the fourth set, but once again the Tigers would not go away quietly. Grambling State trimmed a seven-point deficit to two at 20-18, and then forced a tie at 21-21 to the delight of its fans. The Tigers were sensing a fifth set when they tied the score at 24-all after blocking a PVAMU attack – one of 15 blocks GSU recorded Tuesday.
 
Grambling was one point away from victory at 27-26, but the Panthers rallied for three consecutive points to claim the match win. MoKeysha Shanklin and Cox put down back-to-back kills, before Shanklin and Allen finished the match with a block.
 
Allen, Prairie View A&M's libero, was asked to join the rest of her team wearing their pink jerseys after Kiso left the contest in the middle of the fourth set after landing awkwardly on a Grambling player's foot near the net. When it was her turn on the front row, Allen did not disappoint, picking up her first two blocks of the year.
 
Jasmine Lewis knocked down nine blocks for the Lady Panthers. Kiso and Haley Dibbern added seven, followed by Shanklin with six kills.
 
The Lady Panthers return to action Friday when they host Arkansas–Pine Bluff. Match time is scheduled for 7 p.m.