GRAMBLING, LA -- In a hard-fought contest in Grambling, La., on Saturday afternoon, the Prairie View A&M Panthers endured a challenging defeat in their women's volleyball post-season finale against the Jackson St. Lady Tigers, losing 1-3 in a series of intensely competitive sets inside Fredrick C Hobdy Assembly Center.
The Panthers, showing determination and skill, oscillated in performance across the four sets. They began the match facing a tough setback with a score of 13-25, but bounced back in the second set to claim a victory at 25-21. However, the subsequent sets saw the Panthers falling short, with scores of 21-25 and 19-25, ultimately ceding victory to the Lady Tigers.
Highlight performances came from Bailee Hewitt, who had six kills and also secured four service aces. Kiersten Atkinson also stood out with her all-round play, achieving 4 kills from the front row, Atkinson also contributed five blocks. Notably, Leila Smalls excelled in the backcourt with 18 digs and managed to contribute significantly on offensive plays with seven assists. Kylee Owens finished with seven kills on the day to lead the Lady Panthers offense. Defensively, two players reached double figures in digs along with Smalls Tayler Ruffin had 13.
Key moments included clutch actions such as Ruffin's pivotal service ace against Jayden James and Hewitt's vital ace against Alexis Williams. Despite their best efforts, turnover plays like the one from Jordan Jones, who exposed a bad set from Karys Dove, was not enough to secure the win.
The Panthers wrap up the season with a record of 17-16 overall and 13-3 in SWAC play, showing a solid performance throughout despite the final setback. As they reflect on this season and look ahead, the experiences gained from such intense contests are sure to contribute to their strategies and preparations for the next season.
Game Notes
» Bailee Hewitt had a team-high four aces in the loss.
» Kylee Owens had a team-high seven kills for Prairie View A&M.
» Prairie View A&M got a team-high 18 digs from Smalls.
» Prairie View A&M attackers were helped by a team-high 12 assists from Leah Lawson.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Lady Panthers found themselves in an early hole, dropping a tough first set 25-13. Prairie View A&M trailed by as many as 12 points as Jackson State grabbed the advantage for good at 2-1 in a set that was tied up just once before the Lady Tigers took control.
SET 2 | Prairie View A&M rallied after dropping the first set to take set two 25-21, evening the match at 1-1. The Lady Panthers took control of the set lead early on at 5-4 and never looked back. Prairie View A&M led by as many as nine points at 16-7 before finishing off the set. The Prairie View A&M offense also got a boost from four aces in the stanza. Prairie View A&M's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking five Jackson State attacks in the stanza.
SET 3 | Jackson State responded to win set number three, putting Prairie View A&M in a two sets to one hole. The Lady Panthers came up short by the score of 25-21. Jackson State grabbed the advantage for good at 11-10 in a set that was tied up two times before the Lady Tigers took over the lead.
SET 4 | Prairie View A&M then lost the fourth set 25-19 to finish off the match. The Lady Panthers trailed by as many as six points as Jackson State grabbed the advantage for good at 15-14 and Prairie View A&M wasn't able to recover in a set that was knotted up seven times before the Lady Tigers took over in the second half of the stanza.
