Last week, the Lady Panthers volleyball team closed out regular season play with a loss to Houston Baptist University.
After falling to the Huskies on their home court earlier this season, the Panthers traveled to Houston to even the score. They came out with fire in their bellies fighting for every point. The lead changed multiple times during the set but outside hitter Latoya Taylor delivered three consecutive kills that would lead the Panthers to victory. Their determination proved successful as they took the first game 25-22.
The Panthers couldn’t maintain in the sets to follow. The team seemed to be falling apart as the Huskies gained point after point. In addition to the points that the Panthers handed them through errors, the Huskies came out swinging, delivering hits that the Panthers just couldn’t pick up. The Panthers did get a few blocks on HBU.
The Huskies maintained control and blocked out our offense. The Panthers just couldn’t land a hit with the wall of Huskies waiting on the other side. The Huskies shut the Panthers out taking the last three sets (15-25, 23-25, 20-25).
Outside hitter Cheri Lindsey who currently leads the SWAC in kills, got injured in the game and it hit the team pretty hard. Middle blocker Shaun Williams felt that the loss “showed us what we need to work on individually especially when Cheri got hurt. Picking up where she wasn’t was a task because she is an amazing player.”
The Lady Panthers are currently ranked 2nd in the western division of the SWAC behind the Lady Tigers of Grambling State who have gone undefeated.
Their next volleyball venture will be the SWAC tournament in Ruston, La. on the Grambling campus November 21 and 22.