PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – The 2015 season's first appearance of the pink uniforms did not change the fortunes of the Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers, who fell to Texas A&M–Corpus Christi on Thursday.
Scores of the match were 25-10, 25-12, and 25-19.
The visiting Islanders (15-4) were led by a trio of players – Brittany Gilpin, Kelsee Felux, and Kirstee McGarva – which knocked down seven kills apiece. Kristyn Nicholson handed out 28 assists and recorded 10 digs for Texas A&M–Corpus Christi.
Freshman middle blocker
Calli Jordan Hensch knocked down five kills to lead the Lady Panthers (0-16). She also participated in three blocks during the match – one solo and two assisted.
Ana Kiso handed out 10 assists and recorded seven digs for the Lady Panthers. Freshman teammate
Christen Augustine led the Prairie View A&M defensive effort with 10 digs.
The Islanders hit .278 in the match (37 kills on 97 attempts) while the Lady Panthers hit -.094, their second lowest percentage in a match this season.
Though the Islanders won the first two sets by a comfortable margin, they faced some resistance from the home team in set three, which featured five ties and two lead changes. After falling behind 3-0 on attack errors, the Lady Panthers rallied and tied the score at 4-4; neither team could get more than one point ahead as the teams battled to 8-8.
From that point, the Islanders pulled away and rallied for the next six points. Though an Islander attack error and two aces from PVAMU's
Randi Hunter would cut the margin to 14-11, the Lady Panthers would get no closer than three points for the rest of the match.
Thursday's match marked the 10th time this season the Lady Panthers have faced an opponent from the traditionally competitive Southland Conference. The Lady Panthers have faced eight different opponents from the SLC, having completed a home-and-home with
Texas A&M–Corpus Christi and Houston Baptist. The match was the first of four consecutive contests at home for the Lady Panthers. They open Southwestern Athletic Conference play Tuesday when they host Texas Southern. Match time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
