PRAIRIE VIEW - The Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers open the 2019 campaign this weekend when they head to Huntsville, Texas to take part in Sam Houston State's 42nd Annual Bearkat Invitational.
Action begins Friday as PVAMU take on the host Bearkats at 6:30 p.m. From there, Prairie View continues Saturday play against Oral Roberts at 9:30 a.m. before concluding versus Louisiana Tech at 3:30 p.m.
"I'm excited about our opening weekend at the Bearkat Invitational," PVAMU head coach TaCho Tyler said. "It'll be a competitive weekend, and I want us to focus on getting better each set. We've had a really solid preseason camp so I'm ready to see the ladies turn their hard work into wins."
The weekend slate should provide an early litmus test for Prairie View A&M, who finished 7-25 (7-11 SWAC) in 2018. The Lady Panthers return several key contributors from last year's squad, including four of their top five attackers. Leading the way are Preseason All-SWAC Second Team selections Victoria Pearson (199 kills, 68 digs, 17 aces in 2018) and Erica Jimenez (465 assists, 193 digs, 41 kills, 13 aces in 2018) at middle hitter and setter, respectively and leading point-getter senior Jaylan Thomas (227 kills in 2018). In all, Prairie View A&M returns nine letter winners and brings in 14 newcomers.
Scouting the Competition:
- Led by Preseason All-Southland selection Breanna Chausse, Sam Houston State is projected to finish third in the Southland Conference following a 22-8 (13-3 SLC) mark in 2018. The Bearkats return eight contributors from last season and have brought nine newcomers and seven freshmen into the fold.
- Oral Roberts posted a 9-19 overall record last season, going 6-10 in Summit League play. ORU is expected to take a step forward as evidenced by Summit League coaches placing them fourth in the conference's predicted order of finish. The Golden Eagles return 81 percent of their total kills, led by CeCe Madison (242 kills in 2018).
- Louisiana Tech went 6-23 last season with a disappointing mark in Conference USA play, but first-year coach Amber McCray returns 13 players from the 2018 campaign. The Lady Techsters return top attackers Madeline Davis and Kaitlyn Adams, who combined for 477 kills last season.
How to Follow:
- Live Stats and Video links will be available throughout the weekend. To watch, visit the Bearkat Sports Network feed HERE, and live stat links will be provided via the Lady Panthers' volleyball schedule for each corresponding game as they are made available.
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