DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Make it six straight wins for Bethune-Cookman as the Wildcats took down Prairie View A&M, 3-1, Sunday afternoon at Moore Gymnasium. The Panthers came into the day as the SWAC's lone undefeated team in conference play at 7-0.
Bethune-Cookman (10-11, 7-2 SWAC) suffered only two errors in an efficient first set win. Three
Kaleigh Williams kills - including a service ace - set the tone as the Cats built up an early 10-7 advantage.
Prairie View A&M (10-11, 7-1 SWAC) rallied for four straight to go up 12-11, but the Cats returned with four of their own, holding back the Panthers for a 25-20 win in the first set.
The momentum continued into the second set as the Cats raced up 6-1 off three Panther errors. The Panthers pulled back even at 8-8 and continued to take a 15-13 lead off a pair of B-CU attack errors.
The Wildcats kept things close as
Amya Jennings collected a pair of kills to tie things up, but the Panthers took the final three points of the set to finish off a 25-22 win and tie the match at 1-1.
B-CU held the Panthers to a.098 in a third set win. B-CU trailed as late as 13-12, but four straight off the serve of
Nola Hemphill pushed the Cats up three. An
Ariel Simmons kill closed out a 25-19 set win.
Prairie View looked poised to tie things again with a 6-1 start to the fourth set before the Wildcats answered with nine straight off the serve of
Kaleigh Williams.
The Panthers could never recover - as Williams returned to serve later in the set, B-CU again rallied for three straight. A PVAMU attack error was challenged, but the call stood as the Wildcats finished off a 25-16 win to take the match, 3-1.
- AJ Simmons and Amya Jennings led the way with 10 kills each.
- Simmons added six block assists, while Jennings collected 12 digs.
- Kaleigh Williams set a career-high with six service aces - her previous high was three against Jackson State. She also added five block assists and seven digs.
- Melissa Gonzalez topped 20 assists for the second game in a row with 23 - the second time in her career she has hit that mark in consecutive matches.
The Wildcats will spend homecoming week on the road as they head to Arkansas - Pine Bluff to take on the Golden Lions on Friday, October 24 at 7:30pm EST. B-CU is two wins shy of tying the program record of consecutive wins (8).
Follow Bethune-Cookman Volleyball on Twitter/X and Instagram (@BCUVolleyball) and for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) and www.bcuathletics.com.
--#HailWildcats--
