PRAIRIE VIEW – The Prairie View A&M volleyball team (3-0, 2-0 SWAC) swept Arkansas-Pine Bluff during Southwestern Athletic Conference action Monday afternoon at the H.O. Clemmons Arena. Set scores were 28-26, 25-18, 25-21.
"I knew (UAPB) would come out and battle," PVAMU head volleyball coach TaCho Tyler said. "Our whole mission this game was to finish each set. In the last two games, we would dominate the first two sets and falter in the third, but in today's game, in every timeout we talked about finishing, finishing, and more finishing. We're a relatively veteran group on the floor, with Malia (Viernes) being the only freshman, so I'm looking at the veterans to keep guiding her."
How it Happened:
After a pair of Lady Lion miscues gifted a back-and-forth first set to the Lady Panthers, Prairie View A&M controlled matters throughout the second frame, scoring in bunches to keep UAPB on its heels. Following a stretch where errors from the Lady Lions combined with kills by Malia Viernes, Breonna Fleming and Victoria Pearson made it 20-13 in favor of PVAMU, the Lady Panthers cruised to a commanding 2-0 lead heading to the third set.
In the third set, the Lady Panthers were uneven to begin, allowing the Lady Lions to take a 14-11 lead midway through. Prairie View A&M regrouped to put together a 9-3 run and charge ahead to a 20-17 advantage. Though the Lady Lions tied it at 20, Prairie View closed the match with a 5-1 flourish.
"I believe everyone is going to keep playing hard just because our seasons have been pushed back, so everyone is anxious and ready to just play and succeed," Tyler said. "For us, it's about capitalizing on our game plan and then making quick adjustments. I loved that we finished in three sets, because that was our ultimate goal today,"
Key Stats:
Kimira Coffee led PVAMU with nine kills, and Melanie Arenas added eight kills and 12 digs. Skyla Childs picked up 12 digs as well, and Jakarta Hope and Miriam Cardoner posted double-doubles with 12 assists and 11 digs each.
Zyonn Smith put away 14 kills for UAPB.
Up Next:
Prairie View A&M returns to action Jan. 31 at Alcorn State. Start time is set for 3 p.m. from the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
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