The Lady Jaguars cast out judgment against UAPB. Southern sweeps 3-0

The Jaguars come into this game after a crushing blunder against Grambling State at home, losing 0-3. The Coach, Vanessa Jacobs, would comment on the loss, saying, “They (felt like they) didn’t do enough in last night’s match; It was disappointing.” Southern and Pine-Bluff look to improve their conference record going into this game, with both being 2-5 in conference play. The first period is very back and forth, with multiple spikes, tips, and wins off the serve. The Lady Jags started to pull away, but several self-inflicted blunders allowed UAPB back within the round. However, timed blocks and clutch time rally wins allowed Southern to hold on to their 2-point advantage through the first period. After being tied 24-24 after an extremely exciting rally, Southern loses the lead after an unfortunate spike goes out of bounds. On the flipside, after a crucial timeout, they tied it back to 25-25. UAPB and Southern would go back and forth for multiple enticing rallies before Southern would pull away and win the round 28-26. The Lady Jags would strike early in round two, going up 5-0 against the Lions. An aggressive attack for the Jaguars would prove fruitful for the Jaguars starting. UAPB would then launch an attack of their own to make the score 7-5. This momentum wouldn’t last long as the Jaguars would stretch the lead to 5, making the game 10-5. The Jaguars would continue to dominate as the lead would expand to 16-7 off the backs of their relentless attack, resiliency to extend rallies and clutch blocks. The lead would stretch to 11 points nearing the end of the 2nd round with a score of 19-8. Domination was the theme, as the Jaguars would also end up stealing round 2 with a score of 25-12, punishing their opponent by 13.
The third round would start with the Jaguars having momentum from the first 2 rounds as they came to a blazing 2-0 start. However, UAPB would come back with a vengeance and quickly turn the tables, making it 2-4 early. The Lady Jaguars would fire back even harder, taking back the lead to make it 8-4. The Lady Jaguars seemed to have come in with the same game plan as last round, playing aggressively, extending rallies, and capitalizing off UAPB’s mistakes. UAPB would cut into the 6-point deficit, going from 12-6 to 12-10, before the Jaguars would get back on their feet to take back control, making the score 14-11. UAPB would try to fight back against the onslaught of offense, but Southern would keep their lead throughout the round. Up 20-15 late, Southern looked to have this game locked up. UAPB would make a small comeback, making the game more interesting, but it was misleading. The round would end in a Jaguar victory 25-20, completing the clean sweep. The Jaguars would sweep the game 3-0 in a completely dominating fashion. When asked about the game, the coach, Vanessa Jacobs, said, “We’re both teams that are capable. We just happened to show up with all the pieces to the puzzle.” When asked about their aggressive attack, she explained, “It’s always a part of the gameplan.” Despite sitting in the bottom half of the SWAC, Coach Jacobs remains positive on the season, stating, “I’m always optimistic.” The Lady Jaguars will meet with Alcorn on October 25th at home in Clifford Seymour Gym. The Lady Jaguars will have another Cluster next Sunday, the 29th.