BATON ROUGE, La. — The Southern University volleyball team hits the road for a pair of Southwestern Athletic Conference matchups against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Grambling State on Friday and Sunday.
 
The Lady Jaguars open the weekend against the Golden Lions at 6 p.m. Friday at H.O. Clemmons Arena before closing out the road swing against Grambling at 7 p.m. Sunday at Louisiana Tech's Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, Louisiana.
 
Southern is coming off a challenging week that featured four matches. The Lady Jaguars dropped contests to Florida A&M and Alcorn before bouncing back with a victory over Texas Southern. Southern closed the week with a five-set loss to Prairie View on Senior Day.
 
Penina Vito was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Week following an impressive performance across four matches. The junior led the SWAC with 70 assists over Southern's four matches as the Lady Jaguars ranked 12th nationally in assists for the week. The Arizona native also recorded 10 service aces, the most by any player in the NCAA during the week. Vito's six aces against Texas Southern was the most by a Lady Jaguar since November 7, 2024.
 
Maleah Faust shared setting responsibilities with Vito for the Lady Jaguars. Faust added 55 assists and six aces to help Southern finish the week with a nation-leading 33 service aces.
 
Mariah Mott paced the Lady Jaguars offensively with 28 kills over the four matches. The sophomore found her rhythm late in the week, recording 10 kills against both Texas Southern and Prairie View. Mott ranks second on the team with 189 kills and averages 2.25 kills per set this season. She will be called upon to shoulder an increased offensive role following the injury to Sereniti Johnson.
 
Alyssa Williams and Paulina Agudelo Marin followed with 20 kills apiece, while Alayah Wilson added 19 and Reagan Robinson contributed 18. Williams played a key role in the victory over Texas Southern, finishing with eight kills and six blocks. Agudelo Marin recorded six kills against both Alcorn and Texas Southern, hitting .357 with four blocks against the Tigers.
 
Wilson, who has recently worked her way into the starting lineup, turned in a career performance against Texas Southern. The freshman finished with a career-high 11 kills and seven digs. Robinson has also continued to make an impact down the stretch, recording 31 digs across the four matches.
 
Defensively, the Lady Jaguars continued to establish themselves among the SWAC's top teams. Najah Harris led the conference for the fifth time this season with 70 digs. Southern finished the week with 211 total digs, ranking fifth nationally. Vito added 32 digs, while Robinson contributed 31.
 
Southern also led the conference in total blocks for the week with 28. Braelynn Reese paced the Lady Jaguars with 18 blocks, including eight against Texas Southern and seven against Prairie View. The senior led the SWAC and ranked eighth nationally in total blocks for the week. Mott, Agudelo Marin and Williams added seven blocks apiece.

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