PRAIRIE VIEW – The Prairie View A&M volleyball team heads across town to face arch-rival Texas Southern in a Southwestern Athletic Conference match-up that could loom large in the Lady Panthers' conference title aspirations.
The Lady Panthers (14-20, 13-3 SWAC) take on the Lady Tigers (10-15, 9-7 SWAC) at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at Texas Southern's HPE Arena.
Prairie View A&M enters the game tied with Alabama A&M with a 13-3 record in conference play and is in good position to take at least a share of the regular season crown. A win for the Lady Panthers would momentarily give them sole possession of the top spot in league standings, as Alabama A&M doesn't return to action until Nov. 10. However, Jackson State (11-3) has four games left and owns a head-to-head tiebreaker over PVAMU.
Junior middle blocker and SWAC Player of the Year candidate Victoria Pearson continues her dominant season, as she leads the the Lady Panthers with 346 kills (2.86 per set) on a .309 attack percentage while dishing out 27 service aces and figuring in on 83 digs.
Pearson and junior outside hitter Tamaira Armstrong (310 kills on a .212 hit percentage, 259 digs) both rank among the SWAC's top 10 in kills and points. Senior right side hitter CeTara Carter (247 kills) leads the team with 64 blocks, and Pearson is close behind with 54 total blocks.
Setters Erica Jimenez (514 assists; 4.55 per set) and Jakarta Hope (498 assists; 4.57 per set) continue to remain the top setting duo in the league, and freshman libero Skyla Childs anchors the back line of the Lady Panthers' defense with 511 digs, a figure that leads the conference.
In the teams' Oct. 10 meeting, Carter put down 16 kills to lead Prairie View A&M to a sweep win over Texas Southern. Pearson added 12 kills, while Jimenez posted a double-double with 27 assists and 12 digs.
Scouting the Competition:
- Texas Southern leads the SWAC with 1.53 service aces per set and will enter tomorrow's game with three players that have amassed 100 kills or better.
- Alexis Austin is the team's top offensive threat, leading the team with 226 kills (2.83 per set). Austin and Danielle Lilley have been bright spots for the Lady Tigers as both are inside the SWAC's top 10 rankings for points per set.
- At setter, Breyanna York has quietly put together one of the more productive seasons by a SWAC player, ranking second in the league with 6.34 assists per set. Valencia Grayson leads the team with 319 digs.
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