PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – A scheduling mishap on the road the previous week meant Thursday's match against Southern University will not be Prairie View A&M's last home contest of 2014, but they decided to keep their Senior Night festivities in place.

Good thing, because the Lady Panthers also gave a Senior Night-worthy performance and avenged a five-set loss at Southern last month.

The Lady Panthers (9-16) rallied back from a 24-20 deficit in set two and went on to take three consecutive sets from the visiting Jaguars.

Scores of the match were 23-25, 27-25, 27-25, and 25-22.

Senior Candyce Alexander (Bedford, Texas/Missouri State–West Plains) turned in her best performance of the season Thursday, posting a triple-double to lead the Lady Panthers to victory. Alexander knocked down 18 kills, handed out 25 assists, and dug 13 opposition attacks.

For good measure, Alexander also hit .306 (18 kills and three errors on 49 attacks), her highest mark in nearly a month.

Not to be overshadowed, senior LaKeisha Allen (McAllen, Texas/Rowe HS) was nearly flawless leading the Lady Panther defense, registering match highs of 24 digs and 36 serve receptions.

Lenicia Tyson (Baltimore, Md./Humble [Texas] HS) knocked down 11 kills and took part in four blocks for the Lady Panthers, while Mariah Cox (Denver, Colo./New Mexico Military Institute) added 10 kills for PVAMU.

Sophomore Paige Chuidian (Katy, Texas/Morton Ranch HS) posted her first collegiate double-double, handing out 23 assists and registering 10 digs.

Southern's Marisol Macias knocked down a team-high 14 kills, followed by teammate Leila Lealaimatafao, who added 12 kills for the Jaguars (8-13, 3-4 SWAC).

The Lady Panthers improved to 3-4 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference's West Division standings.

After giving up the last three points of set one, it appeared as if Southern was going to take commanding control of the match, as they led by as many as six points in the second set. With the Lady Panthers facing set point down 24-20, Tyson rallied her team back into a tie with four consecutive points - two blocks sandwiched between two kills with assists from Alexander. Chandler Bacons (Katy, Texas/San Jacinto College) then served an ace to give the Panthers the lead.

Southern responded with one of Shauntia Carr's nine kills, but a kill by Cox in response and an attack error by the Jaguars gave the Panthers a thrilling victory.

Momentum appeared to shift following the Senior Night festivities between sets two and three as the Lady Panthers jumped out to a 10-3 lead in set three. PVAMU kept their opponents at bay for much of the third set, but a 5-1 run by Southern allowed the Lady Jags to tie the score at 20.

With the teams then trading points, the Jaguars reached set point with one of their 10 blocks that gave them a 25-24 lead. But just as it was in set two, Tyson rallied the troops and knocked down two kills as the Panthers scored the next three to take the set.

The Lady Panthers never trailed in set four, but intense play and long rallies meant that Southern remained in striking distance for its duration. Cox knocked down three consecutive kills late in the set to give PVAMU a 24-20 lead. Southern fought back for two points, but ultimately ran out of steam when the set ended on a Jaguars attack error.

Following the match, the Lady Panthers honored Alicia Pete, who will be stepping down as Prairie View A&M's head coach after 15 years at season's end. Her family and many of her former players were among the nearly 300 people in attendance at Nicks Arena.

If it seemed to fans like Tyson's clutch play at the end of sets resembled that of a senior approaching her last home match, it was not mere coincidence. The Lady Panthers also honored Tyson during the Senior Night ceremony, as the sophomore will not return next season as she pursues academic opportunities.

The Lady Panthers also honored senior Charae Caldwell, whose season was limited to just three matches due to injury.

Prairie View A&M plays its second final home match of the season Monday when they host Arkansas–Pine Bluff. Match time is scheduled for 6 p.m.