It was a gutsy move for Prairie View A&M tennis coach John Cochran and assistant Duane Williams to switch up their lineups before the Southwestern Athletic Conference West Challenge started. However, the team responded.
They played inspired and with a vigor that had been lacking in previous matches to go 3-0 vs. conference opponents and take over first place in the standings.
The Panthers dominated the opposition and did not even drop a match during an entire weekend of singles play. They defeated Jackson State 6-0 on Friday afternoon. Alabama State went down 7-0 on Saturday, and the Prairie View A&M put the nail in the coffin on Sunday with a 7-0 win over Alabama A&M. The only match the Panthers lost during the tournament was a close-fought doubles match on Saturday vs. Alabama State. Kristen Powell and Craig Wiltz were defeated 8-6 by the team of Brand and Pierce at the No. 1 spot.
“They came out on fire,” Cochran said. “They were hungry to get wins, and they beat some tough teams this weekend. We moved some people around to get maximum production and they came through.”
Jackson Varney came through and dominated at the No. 1 singles spot to set the pace for the Panthers, and everything else fell into place.
Though the Panthers seemed to have a leg up on the competition, Cochran is doing his best to keep the team grounded and hungry from improvement as a unit before their next matches begin. The Panthers will take on Tennessee State on Saturday, March 2, in Baton Rouge.
Prarie View A&M
Tuesday, June 24, 2025