The Panther

Issue date: 11/15/06 Section: Campus News

Media Credit: Evan White After a long season of hard work, a well deserved SWAC trophy sits in the Babydome.

Media Credit: Evan White The Lady Panthers hold hands in anticipation as they trade wins with the Devilettes.

Media Credit: Evan White The volleyball team members pose with their newly attained 2006 SWAC Champion trophy after a victory over Mississippi Valley State.

It was too much for the team to take. A season of hard work was what had put them in the position for it. Prairie View's women's volleyball team was ahead 14-8 in the fifth set of a match with the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes.

A win would clinch the tournament for the Lady Panthers and send them to the NCAA tournament. As the final ball played dropped into the Devilettes side of the net, pandemonium struck William "Billy" J. Nicks Field house, as the Lady Panthers had clinched the SWAC Championship and the team stormed the court. "It hasn't really sunk in," was how head coach Alicia Pete, Shannon Harrison and Sarah Meriwether all described how they felt shortly following the Lady Panthers' tough and emotional five set defeat of the Devilettes. The match was the fourth in the course of two days that the Lady Panthers won to clinch the tournament.

Friday, Prairie View started off the quest with tough three set victories over Jackson State and Alabama A&M. Though they won all three games in both matches, each came down to the very end and the Lady Panthers had to hold off valiant efforts from both teams. Having defeated Miss. Valley State in four games early Saturday, the Lady Panthers met the team again.

Prairie View won the first game 30-17, but Miss. Valley fought back, taking the next game rallying from a 29-25 deficit to win the next game 32-30 and then the Devilettes took the next game 30-21. The game losses had to be tough to take, as the Panthers put much effort into them, with Brandie Johnson even crashing into the scores table to try and save a ball.

The team was down, but not out. "My girls were not fazed because they knew there was more pressure on Miss. Valley State to win since they had to win another match even if they won the match we were playing," said Pete. The Panthers won a hotly contested fourth game 30-27, then never left the final game in doubt, starting it off 10-2 and winning 15-8 setting off the celebration and leaving Miss. Valley devastated by the defeat. "I'm really proud of this team's effort, it was great," said Harrison.

If the championship was not enough, Prairie View was honored when the SWAC named Ashley Campbell and TaCho Richard to the all-tournament team, Coach Alicia Pete, the SWAC Coach of the Year, and TaCho Richard, the tournament's most valuable player. "I feel like my girls worked hard all year and the work on the 7 seconds [a motivational run] really paid off," said Pete.

Fittingly, the Lady Panthers again performed this motivational task soon after they were presented with the SWAC trophy. The Lady Panthers now get ready for the NCAA tournament.

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