HOUSTON — Texas Southern volleyball's undefeated conference streak came to an end Thursday night, falling to Prairie View A&M in four sets (25-23, 20-25, 7-25, 22-25) at the Health & Physical Education Arena.
The Lady Tigers came out strong, taking the opening set behind a balanced offensive effort led by freshman Gracie Hill and senior Lauren Battle. TSU hit an impressive .310 in the first frame and held off a late PVAMU surge to grab the early advantage.
"Going into the game, we were confident and ready," said setter Ava Ray. "But we came in a little bit lax, and that calmness carried over into the game."
"We did well in that first set, but we just didn't build enough momentum," added Battle.
Momentum shifted in the second set as Prairie View responded with a more aggressive offense and tightened up defensively. The Panthers capitalized on TSU's attack errors and out-blocked the Lady Tigers 8-2 over the course of the match.
Hill led the way for TSU with 14.5 points and 11 digs, while Battle and Kourtni Collier each added 7.5 points. Ray chipped in 14 digs and six assists, and Morelia Lorenzo Diaz anchored the back row with a team-high 16 digs.
Despite a late push in the fourth set, Texas Southern couldn't complete the comeback, dropping its first SWAC match of the season.
"This is not our level of play, nor is it something we accept from ourselves," said Head Coach Austin. "Our girls understand that. We'll reflect on this tonight, but tomorrow it's time to focus on the next two games and find ways to get better. Our biggest focus is on consistency, confidence, and cohesiveness — our three C's — and we'll continue to work on that and stay off the roller coaster we've been on."
The Lady Tigers will look to bounce back on Sunday when they host Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 1 p.m. inside the H&PE Arena.
