Lady Panthers Open 2021 Season with a Five-Set Win at Brewton-Parker
MOUNT VERNON, GA - The Claflin Lady Panthers (1-0) opened the 2021 season on a thrilling note when the team took a five-set road win over the Brewton-Parker Barons (1-4), Tuesday evening. The win was a key victory for the Lady Panthers as it not only kicked started the team's season, it gave Lady Panthers Head Coach Chymaine Guinyard her first career victory as a head coach.
"I'm very excited for Coach Guinyard and the program securing it's first victory," said Claflin University Director of Athletics Tony O'Neal. "I'm really proud of the effort and hard work by this team."
Though the Lady Panthers came out on top, it was not an easy night as the team had to show some tremendous heart and effort to claim the victory. After getting off to a hot start, winning the first two sets, 26-24, and 25-21, the Lady Panthers found themselves in a heated battle, taking back-to-back losses in the next two sets, 21-25, and 22-25 before rallying to claw their way to a 16-14 win in the fifth set of the match.
The Panthers put on an impressive performance in their first match of the season. As a team, they totaled 60 kills in the match with 10 service aces. Defensively, the team put on an equally impressive performance with 94 digs in the match. There was a trio of Lady Panthers who led the way for the team with three Lady Panther players reaching double-digit scoring in the match. It was junior
Simone Newell that led the way for the Panthers as she totaled 15 kills in the match. Junior
Sadaiya Edouard added 13 kills as well while junior middle hitter
Mya Broom added 11 kills as well. Defensively, it was a pair of freshmen who led the way for the Lady Panthers. Freshman
Jasmine Kirkland led the way for the Panthers with 22 digs in the match while fellow freshman
Jamila Wilson added 20 digs of her own.
In the early going, the Panthers took control of the match with a pair of impressive performances in the first two sets. In the first set, the Lady Panthers took an early lead, but soon found themselves tied, 15-15. From there, the Lady Panthers showed some true toughness, as they held off the hard-charging Barons. After taking a 24-24 tie, the Lady Panthers benefitted from a Baron attack error and followed the effort with a service ace from senior
Monae Rowser that closed out the 26-24 win. In the second set, the Lady Panthers continued to show their tremendous heart as they struggled early, but soon battled their way to the victory. After falling behind, 9-16, the Lady Panthers went on a 12-2 run that saw the team take a 21-1 win over the Barons that was capped by a service ace from Kirkland. From there, the Lady Panthers didn't look back as they went on to claim the win.
From there, things got tough for the Lady Panthers with losses in the next two sets, 21-25 and 19-25. However, the team would not victory slip from their grasp as they claimed the win with a thrilling 16-14 win in the final set of the match. In the final set, the Lady Panthers were the ones who jumped out early. The team took a 4-1 start to the final set. However, the Barons would not go away easily as the Panthers allowed the set to be tied 8-8. After falling behind, 9-11, the Lady Panthers really showed their hear as the team battle back to claim the win. After going on a 4-1 run, the Lady Panthers took a 13-12 lead after a Baron attack error. After allowing the set to be tied 14-14, the Lady Panthers closed out the victory when a Baron attack error was followed by a kill by junior outside hitter
Simone Newell that sealed the victory for the Lady Panthers.
The Panthers will return to the friendly confines of Tullis Arena at the Jonas T. Kennedy Center for their next action, Thursday, as they will open home court against the Benedict Tigers in a 6:00 p.m. match. For more information on Lady Panthers volleyball, contact the Claflin University Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 535-5548 or log on to
www.athletics.claflin.edu.
