PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – HBU sophomore outside hitter
Mikayla Vivens recorded a career-high 16 kills and 16 digs for her fifth double-double of the season as the Huskies held off Prairie View A&M, 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-16, 25-18) in non-conference volleyball Tuesday night at the Rec Center.
Vivens hit .244 for the match with six errors on 41 attempts and added a block for the Huskies (5-3). Redshirt freshman
Kelly Colwell also reach double figures with 11 kills, hitting .421 and coming up with eight digs. Freshman middle blocker
Ebonie Ballesteros hit .375 with seven kills and a pair of blocks, while sophomore right side
Ashtyn Richey chipped in with six kills and sophomore middle blocker
Megan Patillo with five and three blocks. Senior setter
Madison O'Brien racked up 39 assists with 11 digs, with sophomore
Morgan Dewyer handing out nine assits. Junior libero
Hannah Lewis led the Huskies with 17 digs.
Jaylan Thomas posted a double-double for the Lady Panthers (0-6) with 13 kills and 12 digs, while Cetara Carter had 12 kills and two blocks. Erica Jimenez dished out 23 assists, while Alyssa Cataldo had 15. Christen Ausgustine led PVAMU with 23 digs and Tamaira Armstrong added 12.
The Huskies hit .215 for the match, while holding the Lady Panthers to .133. HBU outdug PVAMU, 72-63, outblocked them, 7-3, and outaced them, 9-2.
HBU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first set, but PVAMU scored the next three to tie. The Huskies then went ahead, 10-6, on a kill by Vivens, but the Lady Panthers fought back to within one at 14-13. Leading 18-15, HBU scored five of the next six points, which included a pair of blocks by Patillo, to extend the advantage to seven. The Huskies went on to claim the set, 25-20.
The Huskies led, 10-5, in the second, but the Lady Panthers scored four in a row to get within one. PVAMU then scored the next seven-straight points to lead, 17-11. HBU answered to cut the deficit to two at 19-17, but PVAMU got to set point at 24-20. The Huskies scored three-straight points, including back-to-back aces by Copeland, but the Lady Panthers got a kill by Thomas to hold on for a 25-23 decision to even the match.
The third set was tied, 6-6, until the Huskies went on a four-point run. Still leading by four, HBU used another four-point spurt to lead by eight, then scored the final two points for a 25-16 victory.
With the fourth set tied, 4-4, HBU scored five of the next six points to go up by four. PVAMU closed within one at 10-9, but the Huskies ripped off five-straight points with back-to-back kills by Vivens and Ballesteros and an ace by Colwell. HBU bumped its lead up to seven at 19-12 and PVAMU would get no closer than five the rest of the way as the Huskies clinched the match, 25-18.
The Huskies return to action at the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup against UTSA, Cornell and host Houston Friday and Saturday at the UH Athletics/Alumni Center.
