HOUSTON, TX – The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff women's volleyball team finished their regular season strong, sweeping the Texas Southern Tigers 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-17) Monday night at the Health & P.E. Arena.
The Lady Lions did not only execute with dominance against Texas Southern, but they played together as a team. Junior Haley Gomez dominated with 11 kills with junior Destiny Thomas adding eight kills. Sophomore Zyonn Smith carried the team with 15 digs and sophomore Nyah Ellis would follow adding 12 digs. Leading with the helping hand would be sophomore Nikole Akamine, leading with 16 assists followed by sophomore Elyssa Kennedy's 12 assists to contribute. Gomez also led on the defensive side with five blocks and sophomore Reagin Williams followed with three blocks.
After the matchup against Prairie View A&M, the Lady Lions had a mindset to make a statement in Houston and to show what they are really about. A Gomez block would get things rolling for the Lady Lions with a kill immediately after to get a quick 2-0 lead. Big plays from Gomez and Williams sealed the first set for the Lady Lions with a score of 25-21.
The second set had a similar start with kills from junior Kaila Robinson, sophomore Jasmine Fuqua and Gomez to get an early 3-0 lead over to Texas Southern to begin the set. Energy kept the Lady Lions going in the second set and disturbed the Lady Tigers causing many errors from TSU and winning the second set with a score of 25-18 to get a 2-0 lead.
The Lady Lions took the energy up a few notches in the third set with a quick 5-0 start from a Robinson ace and a kill by Fuqua and three Texas Southern mistakes. Gomez would takeover in the third set opening the lead for the Lady Lions and a Robinson kill sealed the set victory 25-17 and the 3-0 sweep over Texas Southern.
"I'm just really proud of these girls and all of the ups and down they've overcame and how we ended the regular season on a good note", said UAPB head coach Chelsey Lucas about their regular season closer. The Lady Lions finished the regular season 7-4 and 6-4 in SWAC play.
The third seeded Lady Lions will prepare to head to Birmingham, Alabama for the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships this weekend. Be sure to check for updates at uapblionsroar.com.
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