Southern University

BATON ROUGE, La. — The Southern University volleyball team battled back and forth with Prairie View A&M but came up short in a five-set Southwestern Athletic Conference matchup, falling 3-2 (22-25, 25-18, 18-25, 25-17, 15-9) Sunday afternoon at the Horace W. Moody Intramural Sports Complex.
 
The Lady Jaguars opened the match with a strong first set, jumping out to an early 5-0 advantage behind a pair of kills from Norielle Battle and a kill from Mariah Mott. Southern maintained its momentum throughout the opening frame, using a balanced offensive attack and timely defensive plays to secure a 25-22 victory.
 
Prairie View responded in the second set, taking control midway through the frame and building a comfortable advantage. Despite Southern's efforts to close the gap, the Lady Panthers pulled away to even the match with a 25-18 win.
 
Southern regained the advantage in the third set, delivering one of its strongest offensive performances of the afternoon. The Lady Jaguars recorded 16 kills while hitting .400, using a balanced attack to create separation. Mott and Reagan Robinson helped lead the charge as Southern controlled the set and finished with a 25-18 victory to take a 2-1 lead.
 
The Lady Jaguars looked to close out the match in the fourth set but struggled to find their offensive rhythm. Prairie View built an early advantage and maintained control throughout the frame, forcing a decisive fifth set with a 25-17 win.
 
In the final set, Prairie View carried its momentum, building an early lead and keeping Southern from finding a rhythm offensively. The Lady Jaguars managed four kills in the deciding frame as the Lady Panthers secured the match with a 15-9 victory.
 
Mott led Southern offensively with 10 kills while adding three blocks. Alyssa Williams finished with nine kills and a team-high .286 hitting percentage, while Robinson and Battle contributed seven kills apiece. Battle also added three block. Penina Vito and Maleah Faust combined for 42 assists, finishing with 23 and 19, respectively. Vito added 16 digs for her first double-double of the season.
 
Defensively, Najah Harris led all players with 27 digs and recorded three service aces. Robinson added 10 digs, while Braelynn Reese had seven blocks.
 
Southern falls to 8-17 overall and 4-8 in SWAC play, while Prairie View improves to 9-16 and 9-3 in conference action.
 
UP NEXT
The Lady Jaguars will head out on the road for the final four matches of the season. Southern will head to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to take on Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Friday, November 6 at 6 p.m. in the H.O. Clemmons Arena.

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