BOX SCORE HOUSTON – A frantic comeback attempt fell just short for the Prairie View A&M volleyball team, as the Lady Panthers' five-match winning streak was halted in a five-set loss to arch-rival Texas Southern Thursday evening during Southwestern Athletic Conference action.

Set scores were 25-17, 25-16, 21-25, 22-25, 15-12.

Down two sets to nil, the Lady Panthers (14-21, 13-4 SWAC) battled the Lady Tigers (11-15, 10-7 SWAC) to a 14-14 tie in set three. There, junior outside hitter Tamaira Armstrong asserted herself, putting away three kills to spark a 9-3 run that put the Lady Panthers ahead 23-17. Though Texas Southern was gifted a handful of points via Prairie View A&M misfires, senior CeTara Carter ensured a fourth set, closing the period with a kill.

With Texas Southern offense off the mark during the early goings of the fourth set, the Lady Panthers managed to scrap together a 7-4 advantage to begin the frame. However, the Lady Panthers weren't quite able to pull away from the Lady Tigers, who managed a 19-18 lead late in the period.

From there, junior middle blocker Victoria Pearson took over, smashing home a trio of spikes during a 6-1 run that ultimately allowed the Lady Panthers to tie the match at two sets each.

In the deciding frame, neither side gained much separation as the set featured four ties. Prairie View A&M tied it 10-10 on a Hannah Estupinan kill, but were unable to slow down Texas Southern's Danielle Lilley, who put away four kills and a block assist during a 5-1 run that derailed the Lady Panthers' comeback attempt.

Pearson led all PVAMU players with 18 kills, while Armstrong posted 17 kills and 13 digs. Freshman libero Skyla Childs collected 26 digs, and setters Jakarta Hope (28 assists, 15 digs) and Erica Jimenez (24 assists) combined for 52 helpers in all. The Panthers were outhit .266-.149.

Texas Southerns' Lilley led all players with 26 kills, and Lady Tiger's setter Breyanna York posted 60 assists.

Next Up:
Prairie View A&M concludes its season with a Sunday match at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Start time is set for 5 p.m.