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Volleyball Ready For SWAC Tournament

11/21/2019 4:53:00 PM

In athletics, confidence can be a tricky thing. It's not something a coach can automatically instill in a player or a team. Instead, confidence is something that has to be earned.

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff volleyball team opens in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament against Prairie View A&M Friday at 6:30 p.m., in Itta Bena, MS. at the R.W. Harrison Harrison Complex. For Live stats and coverage link, go to uapblionsroar.com.

The Lady Panthers (15-21, 14-4 SWAC) come into Friday's match as the number two seed and the Lady Lions (10-23, 8-10 SWAC) as the number seven seed. The Lady Lions lost two highly competitive matches to PVAMU during the regular season. Prairie View defeated UAPB 15-25, 17-25, 24-26. In the second meeting, the Lady Lions dropped a 25-13, 19-25, 22-25, 18-25 heartbreaker to the Lady Panthers.

"The team is very excited to be able to have a chance to go into tournament knowing we have a chance to compete for a championship," said first-year UAPB head coach Chelsey Lucas. "The girls are focused and ready to play, we just got to stick to the game plan."

The squad is peaking at the right time with confidence, and are coming into Friday's match having won four of the last five conference games, sweeping Alcorn St. 25-15, 25-17, 25-20, defeating Southern on the road 25-20, 25-23, 18-25, 25-18, defeating Texas Southern at home 20-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-23, and sweeping Grambling St. on the road 25-20, 25-18, 25-9.

The Lady Lions are led by sophomore Haley Gomez, who leads the team with a total of 240 kills. Gomez also ranks ninth in total points with 309.5. Freshman Elyssa Kennedy ranks fourth in the conference with a total of 30 service aces, followed by junior Bri-Anna Armstrong, who ranks eighth in the conference with a total of 21. On the defensive side sophomore, Breana August ranks sixth in the conference with a total of 334 digs and Gomez who ranks second in the conference in total blocks with 93.

#UAPBLionsAreComing

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