Close but no Cigar: Lady Jags lose in the 5th set

The Southern University Lady Jags volleyball team suffered a loss in a five set match on their home court Tuesday, September 23 as they played the Lady Lions of the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the Clifford Seymour Gymnasium.
The Lady Lions began the match with the first serve, and the first point of the set went to SU, with a kill from sophomore Melodie Malone. However, looks were deceiving as UAPB scored four consecutive points against the Lady Jags. SU closed the gap, and each team went point for point, until an apparent shoulder injury for UAPB player Ayanna Parker halted the game.
Coming out of the timeout, an attack error by Chinasa Ekweariri, a junior middle blocker, the Lady Jags lost their momentum, and a kill from UAPB’s Ashlie Jones prompted another SU timeout. However, the momentary regroup produced no result, as UAPB took the first set, 22-25.
The second set opened with the first point going to Southern and, once again, the beginning of the set displayed the best of Southern’s defense. However, as Coach Jacobs paced the sidelines, and Southern’s defense collapsed. Multiple service errors and a lack of defense, which resulted in successful kills for UAPB, ended the set (17-25), Southern practically handed the set to the Lady Lions.
UAPB reappeared quickly on the court after halftime and when they emerged and game play resumed; it appeared SU had returned with a vengeance. Three consecutive service aces by sophomore Diamond Williams led to a timeout call from UAPB, the score 13-5 and the Lady Jags with the lead. However, Williams served another ace. More aggressive play from the Lady Jags led to the win of the third set (25-12).
SU had a rocky start to the fourth set, but recovered slowly. The first timeout of the set, called by UAPB, came after multiple ball handling, the score in favor of SU, 16-11. However, as the Lady Jags pushed forward, so did their opponents, and the second timeout was called by SU, although they still possessed the lead (22-17). Not soon after the first SU timeout came a second, the score 23-21. SU pulled through, and took the fourth set also (25-21).
Defense appeared to be back and strong in the beginning of the fifth and final set. This would determine the outcome of the entire match. Southern’s defense was determined as the volleys lasted longer between each point. UAPB’s regrouping served them well, killing SU’s momentum and causing many attack and ball handling errors on the Lady Jags’ side of the court. SU called for a timeout but to no avail, as four plays later they returned to the huddle for another timeout, the Lady Jags and Lady Lions tied 13-13.
A two-point lead was all it took for to determine the winner, and as both teams had exhausted their timeouts, the next few plays were crucial. An attack error by Ekweariri put UAPB one point closer to the win, but a kill by Malone tied the teams once more. After another kill from Malone, the Lady Lions took the set with a service error. A kill scored the winning point from UAPB senior player Kayla Dowdell.
“It’s unfortunate that in the last set, we missed two serves that killed our momentum,” said Coach Jacobs. “But I’m happy with the way we fought. We didn’t just lay down and allow our opponent to come in and beat us on our own court,” finished Coach Jacobs. UAPB head coach Kyetta May said she felt SU played, “with a lot of heart, and wasn’t an easy opponent.”
The following day, the Lady Jags faced off against Alcorn State, where they played a perfect match, winning three consecutive sets. Their next game will be Tuesday, September 30 at 6:30 p.m. against Grambling State University in the Clifford Seymour Gym.