The Prairie View A&M University volleyball team opened the 2016 season with three highly-competitive losses in the Baylor Tournament.
 
Playing without three starters, the Lady Panthers showed determination in matches against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, host Baylor and Texas Rio Grande Valley.
 
Despite losing in straight sets, second-year head coach Tacho Tyler is pleased with what she saw this weekend.
 
"The ladies displayed a lot of drive and effort," Tyler said. "They really worked hard. I was quite impressed with the level of competition they brought."
 
PVAMU lost 25-14, 25-19, and 25-19 to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Friday, and to Baylor (25-12, 25-16, 25-20) and UTRVG (25-19, 25-7, 25-13) Saturday.
 
"This was the best start of the season we've had in quite some time," Tyler said of the competitive scores. "Erica Jimenez did a great job in her debut in running the offense. Mykaeli Franklin stepped up well during the match against Baylor. Chrissy Augustine had a great tournament as libero in charging up our defense. Sommer Gonzales was a spark for us as a utility player we needed in a variety of roles."
 
The Lady Panthers return to action Tuesday, September 6 at Houston Baptist.