The Lady Panther volleyball team went on the road and added two wins to their record against Huston-Tillotson and Texas Southern on Oct. 27 and Oct. 30.
They first journeyed to Austin on Tuesday where they faced the Lady Rams of Huston-Tillotson. The Lady Panthers came out strong as they executed every play and won the first set 25-21. The Panthers started off the second set with a lead of 3-1, but this wouldn’t last long. The Panthers fell short and handed the second set to Huston-Tillotson, 25-22.
After losing the second set, the Panthers made up their minds and decided that they needed to shut the Lady Rams down. The offense and defense all came together and executed every play to perfection. They went on to win both the third and fourth sets with scores of 25-14 and 25-17.
Outside hitter Cheri Lindsey and middle blocker Sharonda Marshall led the offense with a combined total of 22 kills. Shaun Williams added six defensive blocks while setter Erin Fondel came in with 35 assists and 11 digs. Coach Alicia Pete attributed the team’s success to the change in the offense that was run. She went on to say that the team is “communicating better, reacting to the ball faster and making necessary changes on the court.”
After the win, they traveled to Houston on Friday to face conference foe Texas Southern. The Panthers struggled in the first set, as they tried to pull together in the absence of their primary setter, Fondel. Their fight just wasn’t enough to overcome the resurgent Lady Tigers of TSU. They dropped the first set 25-22.
With the loss of that set behind them, the Lady Panthers came back with a fire like never before. All components just fell together. The Lady Panthers fought their way to a 25-8 victory in the second set.
This play continued in the third and fourth sets as Lindsey led the team with 17 kills. The defense was led by libero Jasmine Hale who came in with 16 digs. The Lady Panthers swept the last two games 25-23, 25-20.
Marshall believes that this success showed the strength of the team as they had to come together in the absence of their setter. “We are as strong as our weakest link and at this point we don’t have one seeing that you can place any player in any position and we will still come out on top.”
This play prepared the Lady Panthers, who are currently second in the SWAC western division, for the SWAC tournament, which is to be held later this month. Lindsey stated that these games “showed us what we’re up against.” They will first take on Mississippi Valley in the conference tournament. “Valley uses their middle a lot as does TSU, so we have to practice in that area.”
The Lady Panthers will next journey to Arkansas on Friday to take on the ladies of UAPB.