HOUSTON – For the third-straight match, HBU senior outside hitters
Bailey Banks and
Jessica Wooten each posted a double-double to lead the Huskies to a sweep of Prairie View A&M, 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-12), in non-conference volleyball Tuesday night at Sharp Gym.
"It's just been so hit or miss with the hurricane, tonight it was more about our offense and trying to get it clicking with Maddy (setter
Madison O'Brien)," HBU head coach
Trent Herman said. "We got it going, hit over .300 again, which is good for us, and just hoping to take that offense into this weekend's tournament."
Banks hit .483 with 16 kills, only two errors and came up with 12 digs, while Wooten notched her fourth-straight double-double with 10 kills and 14 digs for the Huskies (5-0). O'Brien paced the offense with 39 assists, five kills, five digs and three blocks. Senior middle blocker
Blair Gillard added seven kills and three blocks, and junior middle blocker
Kayla Davenport and redshirt freshman right side
Ashtyn Richey each had four kills. Senior libero
Hailey Erickson contributed 11 digs and a pair of aces.
"The balance has come from everybody, including our bench," Herman said. "Last season, with all the injuries, we didn't have a bench, but this year we have 3,4,5 players we can bring in and not really miss a beat. That's really going to help us down the road."
Taylor Goudeau and Larissa Martinez led the Panthers (0-1) with seven kills apiece. Mykaeli Franklin had 17 assists and 10 digs, while Christen Augustine had eight digs. Victoria Pearson and Erica Jiminez came up with seven digs each.
HBU hit .373 for the match, while holding PVAMU to .120. The Huskies outdug the Panthers, 46-40, edged them in blocks, 5-4, and served up seven aces to none for PVAMU.
Tied 6-6 in the first, HBU scored the next three points to take the lead. Up 12-10, the Huskies reeled off five-straight points, with two kills each from Gillard and Richey, to go up by seven. HBU scored the final three points of the set, with Banks providing the decisive kill in a 25-16 decision.
PVAMU took a 5-4 lead in the second, but HBU scored five in a row behind the serving of freshman defensive specialist
Makenna Davis and a pair of kills by Davenport to take a four-point lead. The Panthers closed to within one at 12-11, but another five-point run behind the serve of sophomore defensive specialist
Hannah Lewis, extended the advantage to 17-11. PVAMU would not go away and crept back to within one again at 20-19, but HBU answered by scoring the next three, capped by an ace from Banks. A kill by Wooten and an ace by Erickson clinched the set for the Huskies, 25-20.
The score was tied 5-5 early in the score until the Huskies ripped off eight-straight points, which included a kill and three aces by Wooten. Two kills by Banks and a pair of errors by the Panthers stretched the Huskies' lead to 19-8. Wooten tallied her 10
th kill of the match to get to match point, then Banks put it away for a 25-12 victory.
The Huskies return to action this weekend at the Creeds & Crests Classic in San Marcos, Texas. HBU faces UMass Lowell at 11 a.m., followed by UTSA at 5 p.m. Friday, then take on host Texas State in the finale Saturday at 5 p.m.
