Southern University

BATON ROUGE, La. — Southern volleyball overcame a two-set deficit and rallied for a thrilling five-set victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 3-2 (26-24, 20-25, 17-25, 25-17, 15-6), Friday evening at the H.W. Moody Intramural Sports Complex to open Southwestern Athletic Conference play with a victory.
 
The Lady Jaguars (4-9, 1-0 SWAC) battled through a back-and-forth opening set before overcoming a four-point deficit late in the frame. Southern trailed 24-20 but closed the set on a 6-0 run to take the early advantage.
 
Zaria Nelson helped spark the comeback with a kill to bring Southern within one before the Lady Jaguars evened the score at 24-24. Southern then took advantage of an Arkansas-Pine Bluff attack error before Mariah Mott and Braelynn Reese teamed up for a block to give the Lady Jaguars a 26-24 victory.
 
Arkansas-Pine Bluff answered by taking control of the second set. The Golden Lions built an early advantage and maintained the lead throughout the frame, earning a 25-20 victory to even the match at one set apiece.
 
The Golden Lions continued their momentum into the third set, using a strong offensive attack to take a 25-17 victory and move within one set of claiming the match.
 
Southern responded with its strongest offensive set of the match in the fourth. The Lady Jaguars steadily built their lead before pulling away for a 25-17 victory, forcing a deciding fifth set.
 
With the match on the line, Southern left little doubt in the final frame. The Lady Jaguars raced out to an early advantage and continued to pressure UAPB throughout the set before closing out the match with a 15-6 victory.
 
Sereniti Johnson led the Lady Jaguars with 10 kills, 10 digs and three service aces, her third double-double in the past four matches. Nelson finished with a team-high 11 kills on a .292 hitting percentage. Reagan Robinson added seven kills and 13 digs, while Norielle Battle also recorded seven kills.
 
Braelynn Reese contributed six kills and eight blocks, while Mariah Mott finished with five kills and eight digs. Penina Vito directed the Southern offense with 34 assists, while Maleah Faust added 13 assists.
 
Najah Harris anchored the defensive effort with 20 digs, helping Southern finish with a 68-59 advantage in digs. The Lady Jaguars also recorded nine total blocks, matching the Golden Lions at the net.
 
UP NEXT
Southern will kick off Homecoming week by hosting the Bayou Classic on the court. The Lady Jaguars will take on Grambling at noon on Sunday in the H.W. Moody Intramural Sports Complex.

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