BOX SCORE ITTA BENA, MISS. -- Third time's the charm.

Prairie View A&M volleyball avenged a pair of regular season losses to Jackson State with a satisfying 25-14, 25-13, 25-23 sweep victory in the semifinals of the 2019 Southwestern Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament.

"We're super excited about that," PVAMU head coach TaCho Tyler said. "All of our players were really, really great today. We spread the offense around, and Tamia Hightower came up really huge for us today with kills and blocks, and Jakarta Hope was dishing out those assists and playing really grimy defense today. Jackson State beat us twice this year, but there was no time like tonight. We're ready to see Alabama State in the championship."
 
The Lady Panthers dominated early on, taking a quick 5-1 lead over the Lady Tigers in the first set. Jackson State drew within one, but Prairie View (17-21) extended their lead to 8-4 thanks to kills from freshman Cydni Miller and senior CeTara Carter. Following a small back and forth battle, the Lady Panthers maintained a 12-10 lead and ran away with the frame with a 13-4 surge.
 
Down 7-6 in the second set, the Lady Panthers trailed until Hightower and junior Tamaira Armstrong helped key an 11-4 run that pushed PVAMU in front 17-10. Miller, Armstrong and junior middle blocker Victoria Pearson were strong down the stretch as the Lady Panthers cruised to a 2-0 set advantage.

"This was a great win for our team," senior setter Erica Jimenez said. "Being here for four years, (this year's) been phenomenal. I trust the process, and this team has been doing amazing things all season. We've come together when it counted, and we've got one more game to go to get that ring."
 
Both teams trading points back and forth in set three, until the score was knotted at 11-11, then again at 15-15. A pair of Lady Panther misfires gifted Jackson State an 18-15 lead, but Pearson refused to see the Lady Panthers denied, putting away three kills to spark a match-ending 10-5 Lady Panthers close.

"We're very blessed to be in this position," Carter said.
 
Pearson led the team with nine kills, six digs and five blocks. Armstrong followed with 10 digs and eight kills. Freshman middle blocker Hannah Estupinan also contributed with six kills and one block.
 
The Lady Panthers will compete in the championship match on Sunday, Nov. 24 against defending champion Alabama State. A win would give the Lady Panthers their first volleyball title in 13 years, when they defeated Mississippi Valley State to win the league crown.
 
The game will be streamed live on ESPN3 with the first serve set for 3 p.m. in Itta Bena, Miss., at the R.W. Harrison HPER Complex.