HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers concluded play at the Bearkat Volleyball Invitational with a three-set loss Saturday to Montana State.
 
Scores of the match were 25-14, 25-22, and 25-18.
 
In spite of the loss, the Lady Panthers (0-4) gave their strongest all-around performance of the tournament against the Bobcats, hitting .126 and holding their opponents to a .279 hitting percentage. Montana State was the first team to hit less than .300 in a match against Prairie View A&M.
 
Marissa Campbell – one of nine freshmen on PVAMU's 2015 squad – knocked down match-high 12 kills and hit .400 to lead the Lady Panthers' attack. MoKeysha Shanklin added five kills (with no attacking errors) on 11 attempts, finishing the match with a .455 hitting percentage.
 
Ana Kiso handed out 20 assists for the Lady Panthers, while freshman Marina Martinez dug eight opposition attacks in the match. Tisharra Thompson and Sydney Walker contributed six digs apiece.
 
Natalie Passeck led the Bobcats (2-1) with 11 kills in the match. Teammate Eli Svisco added nine kills for Montana State.
 
After a quick first set, the Bobcats and Lady Panthers found themselves locked in a back-and-forth second set that end up seeing 12 ties and four lead changes. The Bobcats appeared to seize control with a 5-0 run to give themselves a 20-16 lead. Three of those Montana State points came from service aces by Katie Ireland.
 
That Lady Panthers responded by scoring six of the next eight points and tying the set at 22-22. Campbell knocked down three of her kills during that stretch. But before PVAMU could do any further damage, the Bobcats scored the next three points to take the set.
 
In the final set, the Lady Panthers fell behind early, trailing 11-6, but responded with a 7-2 run to tie the set at 13. However, the Bobcats would rebuild their lead, and not allow Prairie View A&M to come within three points for the rest of the set.
 
The Lady Panthers open their home schedule Tuesday when they host Houston Baptist at William J. Nicks Arena. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.