Tyler, Texas native Ashley Campbell had 21 kills, seven digs, and one service ace as the Prairie View women’s volleyball team defeated Texas Southern in three out of four sets on Thursday. The win improved the Lady Panthers to 17-9 overall and 6-1 in the SWAC. “They played well today, but we didn’t execute as we had in past games,” said Prairie View head coach Alicia Pete. After dominating the first set 30-17, Prairie View opened up the second set by jumping out to a 17-10 advantage. However, the Tigers rallied and took the second set by the count of 30-27.
The Lady Panthers regrouped and easily took the next game 30-18 before closing out the Lady Tigers in the fourth set, 30-23. “After losing the second set, they responded really well knowing they needed to start playing more defense,” Pete said. Overall we need to play more defense and do more blocking at the net.” Given their stats, Ashley Campbell, Temeka Newman, Krista Stigler, and Shannon Harrison seem to have become valuable assets to the team. “Ashley is stepping up. We used to just put her on the front row for offense. Now, we use her for offense and defense,” Pete said.
Temeka Newman made her presence felt with 12 kills, two service assists, and four digs. In addition, Krista Stigler is leading the conference in hitting percentage. She had 15 kills and two digs.
Last but not least, Shannon Harrison, the Libero (or defensive specialist) had an excellent game. Harrison racked up 11 digs and three service aces. The Lady Panthers are ranked fourth in the nation in service aces.
The victory set up a crucial match Thursday between the Lady Panthers and Grambling State. The game will determine whether or not the Lady Panthers will be in first or not, so everyone come out and support the Lady Panthers, as they have had an excellent season.