HOUSTON – Bethune-Cookman Volleyball continues a five-match "road" swing this weekend when the Wildcats travel to Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opponents Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M in a pair of key matchups near the top of the standings in the "Lone Star State". B-CU played its last two scheduled home matches at Florida A&M due to the effects of Hurricane Milton on the B-CU campus.
 
MATCH #20: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats at Texas Southern Tigers
WHEN: Friday, Oct. 18, at 2 p.m. ET
WHERE: Health and Physical Education Arena (Houston, Texas)
 
MATCH #21: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats at Prairie View A&M Panthers
WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 20, at 3 p.m. ET
WHERE: William Nicks Building (Prairie View, Texas)
LIVE STATS: Click here
WATCH: Click Here
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Bethune-Cookman is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
▪ Texas Southern is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
▪ Prairie View A&M is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with everything Bethune-Cookman Volleyball this year by following the Wildcats on all their social media platforms. You can follow @BCUVolleyball on Instagram and @BCUVolleyball on Twitter.
 
NEWS & NOTES
▪ Bethune-Cookman is third in the latest SWAC standings at 5-2 in the conference.
▪ Redshirt senior outside hitter Elizabeth Phillips was named Wildcats Women's Athlete of the Week for the period of October 7-13.
▪ The Wildcats enter the weekend having won four of their last five matches – all in league play, respectfully.
▪ Niara Hightower is fifth in the league in hitting percentage (.273).
▪ The Cats have three of the top 10 blockers in the SWAC – Hightower (88), Ktyal Price (60) and Sierra Herndon (37).
▪ Senior outside hitter Jasmine Robinson has registered double-digit kills in two of the last four matches, including 15 at home to Alabama State (Oct. 6).
▪ Setters Alisha Callender (313) and Nola Hemphill (311) setup the team in assists in Brittany Williams' two-set offensive attack.
▪ Libero Rylee Davis heads up the defense with 160 digs, followed closely by Callender (147) and Elizabeth Phillips (134).
 
BCU VS. TEXAS SOUTHERN SERIES
▪ Bethune-Cookman holds a 5-2 edge in the series that dates back to 1998.
▪ Since joining the SWAC, it has been Texas Southern that holds a 2-1 advantage since 2021.
▪ The Wildcats won the first four matches in the series, including twice in tournament fashion in 2019.
▪ TSU took last year's meeting in Houston as part of the SWAC Round-Up by a 3-1 count, while B-CU grabbed a 3-1 win at the SWAC Round-Up in Montgomery, Alabama, in 2022.
▪ B-CU has never hosted Texas Southern in Florida.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
▪ Texas Southern arrives to the weekend with a 5-14 overall record, and a 4-3 mark in the SWAC that sees them sitting fifth in the standings.
▪ The Tigers have won each of their last two SWAC outings by 3-1 decisions against both Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Grambling State, respectfully.
▪ Three different players top the charts in kills – Gracie Hill (164), Lauren Battle (121) and Kourtni Collier (101).
▪ Kennedi Walker leads the squad with 300 assists at the setter position, and fellow setter Ava Ray has 219 assists in the two-set system.
▪ At the libero position, Angelika Rusin tops the Tigers with 283 digs, followed by Lauren Battle with 125.
▪ Kourtni Collier leads the group with 78 blocks (29 solo).
 
BCU VS. PRAIRIE VIEW A&M SERIES
▪ Prairie View A&M has won four of the five meetings in the series between the two teams.
▪ The one win for the Wildcats was a 3-0 decision over the Panthers in New Orleans back in 2018.
▪ Since joining the SWAC, Prairie View A&M is 3-0 against the Cats, including 3-2 victories in each of the last two outings.
 
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
▪ Prairie View A&M enters the weekend 9-13 overall, and sporting a 6-1 SWAC record prior to their match against Florida A&M.
▪ Kylee Owens is the team leader in kills for the Panthers with 249. Teammate D'Mya Hill is second on the team with 159 kills.
▪ The top setter for the Panthers is Leah Lawson with 387 assists, while MaKinzie Taplin with 211 assists.
▪ Owens leads the Panthers in service aces (26).
▪ In yet another category, Owens leads in digs (225). Leila Smalls (178) and Leah Lawson (173) are second and third, respectively.
▪ Janyah Henderson (70) and Kiersten Atkinson (69) are the team's leaders in blocks.
 
A QUICK LOOK AT THE CATS
2024 Record – 8-11 (.421) // 2024 SWAC Record – 5-2 (.714) // Last 5 Matches – 4-1 (.800) // Last 10 Matches – 5-5 (.500) // Last 15 Matches – 7-8 (.467) // Head Coach Brittany Williams is seeking her 93rd all-time victory when facing Texas Southern.
 
UP NEXT
Bethune-Cookman returns home to Richard V. Moore Gymnasium to face off against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Oct. 25) and Grambling State (Oct. 27) in what will be the Wildcats' first true home contests since October 6.
 
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