Southern University

BATON ROUGE, La. — Southern volleyball made the most of its long-awaited home opener Tuesday, earning a hard-fought 3-0 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the Horace W. Moody Intramural Sports Complex.
 
The Lady Jaguars (3-9) battled through three tightly contested sets, defeating the Islanders 25-23, 25-24, 26-24 to secure their first home victory of the season.
 
Southern opened the match with a strong defensive effort, overcoming a late push from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to take the opening set, 25-23. The Lady Jaguars led 21-18 following back-to-back service aces from Sereniti Johnson before holding off the Islanders in the closing points.
 
Johnson continued to make her presence felt throughout the match, finishing with a team-high 10 kills while adding 12 digs and two service aces. Mariah Mott contributed five kills, while Paulina Agudelo Marin added seven kills on an efficient .545 hitting percentage.
 
The Lady Jaguars carried their momentum into the second set, jumping out to an early 5-0 advantage. Southern extended its lead to 12-3 before Texas A&M-Corpus Christi mounted a comeback.
 
The Islanders eventually tied the set at 21-21, but Southern answered when it mattered most. After Texas A&M-Corpus Christi took a 23-22 lead, the Lady Jaguars responded with three consecutive points, including a kill from Mott to close out the set, 25-23.
 
Southern appeared poised to close out the match in the third set, but the Islanders continued to battle. The teams traded points throughout the frame before Texas A&M-Corpus Christi built a 21-18 advantage.
 
The Lady Jaguars refused to let the match extend to a fourth set.
 
Southern rallied behind Johnson, who delivered three kills during the final stretch, including the final two points of the match. With the score tied at 24-24, Johnson recorded consecutive kills to give the Lady Jaguars a 26-24 victory and complete the sweep.
 
Agudelo Marin finished with seven kills and a team-high .545 hitting percentage, while Johnson added 10 kills, 12 digs and two aces. Mott recorded five kills and two blocks, and Braelynn Reese added two kills and three block assists.
 
Maleah Faust directed the Southern offense with 26 assists, while Najah Harris anchored the defensive effort with 12 digs. As a team, Southern finished with 44 digs and seven total blocks.
 
UP NEXT
Southern will open Southwestern Athletic Conference at home against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Friday at 6 p.m. in the H.W. Moody Intramural Sports Complex.

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