Lady Panthers Volleyball Team Takes Down TSU in Thrilling Victory

Wednesday, October 07, 2009 11:19 AM

Prairie View-The Prairie View women’s volleyball team took on Texas Southern University at William J. Nicks gymnasium Tuesday night, defeating their arch rival in four sets ( 22-25, 25-8, 25-23, 25-20).

The first set was a tight, back and forth affair which featured 11 ties and 5 lead changes. But despite a hard fought set by both teams, the Lady Tigers stole it by ending the set with a 5-2 run.

The Lady Panthers came into set two prepared for a brawl, dominating the Lady Tigers in the second set with a final score of 25-8. With thunderous kills from junior outside hitter Cheri Lindsay who added five kills with a hitting percentage of .833 in the set and junior middle blocker Sharonda Marshall helped the attack with six kills, two digs, and a huge block that assisted the Lady Panthers in the roll- over of Texas Southern to tie the match at 1-1.

In the third set the Lady Panthers held off a spirited effort by their long time foe, never leading by more than five points in an important 25-23 win that gave the Lady Panthers control of the match. Going into to the forth set the Lady Panthers pulled away late behind the inspired senior middle blocker Shaun Williams who finished the night with 10 kills to go along with a hitting percentage of .409, and 4 digs.

“This game tonight was a momentum builder for our team, now we need to take this momentum and continue to play with this type of energy every game,” said Prairie View Head Coach Alicia Pete. “Our middles really stepped up tonight and played well against a well coached TSU side, I’m really proud of my girls!”

The Lady Panthers were led by junior middle blocker Sharonda Marshall who led the team with 15 kills, two digs, and six total blocks. Cheri Lindsay recorded 10 kills, nine digs, three service aces, and one block. Junior libero Jasmine Hale led Prairie View with 13 digs, also recording three assists.

Other Lady Panthers to contribute were Longview, Texas native Erin Fondel with 37 assists, seven digs, and two blocks. Latoya Taylor added eight kills, one dig, and one block.

The exciting win over TSU put the Lady Panthers to 6-13 overall recorded and 2-1 in SWAC  play, putting Prairie View in the top half of the conference. The ladies are heading to Baton Rouge to compete in the Southern Tournament this weekend, Oct. 9-10, 2009.