UAPB Volleyball Cruises Past Prairie View In 3-1 Victory

PINE BLUFF, AR – The U volleyball team took care of business in four sets (25-17, 21-25, 25-14, 25-13, 25-13) to knock off the Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers Monday at home at H.O. Clemmons Arena.

The conference win improved UAPB’s record to 2-2 in SWAC action.

The Lady Lions offense was paced by Fernanda Spengler, who finished with 12 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .429. Kori Diego added 11 and Laila Fortson chipped in with 10 as part of balanced UAPB attack. Defensively, had two players reach double figures in digs as Breana August had 22 and Starvoula Papazoglou had 10. From the front row, Diego contributed six blocks.

“Every seemed to be clicking together and working in our favor,” head coach Gabrielle Floyd remarked after her win. “Middles were up and ready, setters were ready to go, and outside hitters were aggressive and smart with their attacks. Our defense played very well today as well. We had a few rough patches in our serves, but we got it together quick and overall performed well throughout the game.

Game Notes
» UAPB had three players in double figures in kills.
» Starvoula Papazoglou had a match-high two aces in the win.
» UAPB never trailed on the way to winning the third set 25-14.
» Fernanada Spengler had a team-high 12 kills for UAPB.
» UAPB got a match-high 22 digs from Breana August.
» UAPB attackers were helped by a match-high 24 assists from Nikole Akamine.

How It Happened

SET 1 | The Lady Lions grabbed control of the set-one lead at 4-3 and never trailed to win 25-17. UAPB led by as many as nine points at 23-14 before finishing off the set, collecting 16 kills in the process. UAPB also supplemented their offense with four aces in the opening set.

SET 2 | UAPB then lost set two 25-21, tying the match at a set apiece. The Lady Lions dropped the first point and never took the lead before dropping the set.

SET 3 | UAPB fired back after the set-two loss to grab the third set and a 2-1 lead in the match. The Lady Lions led from the opening point on in the set to secure a 25-14 victory. UAPB opened up as much as a 12 point lead at 24-12 before finishing off the set. The UAPB offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza. UAPB’s front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking five Prairie View A&M attacks in the stanza.

SET 4 | UAPB kept the momentum going, earning the match win with a 25-13 fourth-set victory. The Lady Lions took control of the set at 4-3 and held the lead the rest of the way. UAPB ended the stanza on a high note by opening up its biggest lead, 12 points, to finish off the set, collecting 15 kills.