Southern University

BATON ROUGE, La. — The Southern University volleyball team earned a 3-1 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Friday evening at the Horace W. Moody Intramural Sports Complex, using a dominant start and a strong finish to secure a Southwestern Athletic Conference victory.
 
The Lady Jaguars won the opening two sets before responding from a third-set setback to close out the match, 25-14, 25-10, 23-25, 25-15.
 
Southern (6-12, 3-3 SWAC) controlled the match offensively, finishing with 59 kills and a .224 hitting percentage while limiting the Delta Devils (1-14, 0-6) to 28 kills and a .021 hitting percentage. Sereniti Johnson led the Lady Jaguars with a match-high 19 kills, hitting .412 while contributing 20.5 points.
 
The Lady Jaguars established control early in the opening set, jumping out to an 8-0 lead behind an effective serving rotation and consistent offensive execution. Southern continued to apply pressure, extending its advantage to 15-4 as Reagan Robinson and Johnson provided key kills. The Delta Devils attempted to rally late, but Southern maintained its advantage and closed the set with a kill from Braelynn Reese for a 25-14 victory.
 
Southern carried that momentum into the second set, delivering another convincing performance. After trading points early, the Lady Jaguars used a decisive run to build a 7-2 lead. Johnson helped fuel the surge with strong attacking, while the Southern defense forced Mississippi Valley State into a series of errors. The advantage grew to 16-5 before the Lady Jaguars continued to pull away. Southern recorded 14 kills and hit .367 in the set, its most efficient offensive frame of the match, as Reese secured the final point in a 25-10 win.
 
Mississippi Valley State responded in the third set, taking advantage of Southern's offensive miscues to avoid the sweep. The teams battled through several ties in a competitive opening stretch before the Delta Devils created separation midway through the frame. Southern attempted to rally late, with Johnson delivering multiple kills to help trim the deficit to 21-22. The Lady Jaguars continued to fight, but Mississippi Valley State held on to take the set 25-23 and extend the match.
 
The Lady Jaguars regrouped in the fourth set and quickly reestablished control. Southern overcame an early deficit and used a strong serving stretch from Maleah Faust to turn a 6-7 disadvantage into a 13-7 lead. Johnson continued to deliver offensively, while the Lady Jaguars capitalized on Mississippi Valley State's errors to maintain a comfortable margin. Southern pushed its lead to 16-9 and never allowed the Delta Devils to threaten the advantage, closing out the match with a 25-15 win.
 
Johnson finished with 19 kills on a .412 hitting percentage, adding an ace and a block. Robinson contributed eight kills, 18 digs and two service aces, while Reese added seven kills and two blocks. Penina Vito directed the offense with 33 assists, helping Southern finish with 55 assists as a team.
 
Defensively, libero Najah Harris recorded a match-high 31 digs, providing a steady presence in the back row throughout the four-set contest. Southern also received contributions from its supporting cast as the Lady Jaguars finished with 84 digs and six total team blocks.
 
UP NEXT
The Lady Jaguars will return to action on Sunday when they welcome Jackson State to the H.W. Moody Intramural Sports Complex at noon.

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