Panthers start off home stand with two wins

Stefano Rivera/Contributing Writer

The women’s volleyball team was back in action at home after a tough two-game road trip, in which it lost both games against Rice University and Western Kentucky University. On Friday, Oct. 2, the Panthers hosted Marshall University. The Thundering Herd came into the game with an impressive record of 11-6 (2-1 C-USA).

Losing four of their last five games, the Panthers needed to use the home crowd to their advantage. They did exactly that, beating Marshall 3-1 with scores of 25-17, 26-24, 20-25, and 25-18, improving their record to 9-6 (3-2 C-USA).

Head Coach, Rita Buck-Crockett said, “I’m really happy with the win. Marshall is a very good team.”

The Panthers won the first two sets, the second being close, containing several lead changes and ties. Marshall bounced back in the third set, but Junior, Katie Hogan, propelled the team and helped finish off the Thundering Herd.

Buck-Crockett said, “I think we are establishing our identity as a power team and every week we are getting better and better.”

The team was led by Hogan, who totaled a career-high 19 kills. Hogan also finished with three blocks, three aces, and a .531 hitting percentage. Senior, Lucia Castro, and sophomore, Jennifer Ene combined for 25 kills, freshman, Katie Friesen, collected 30 assists and Senior, Adriana McLamb, had a team-high 25 digs.

The team had a slight lineup change in which two setters were incorporated, Friesen, and fellow freshman, Dominique Dodd. The idea here is the setters only set when they are in the back row, giving them three front row hitters to utilize.

“It’s a different lineup, a different set up and seems to work better”, Buck-Crockett said.

The Panthers looked to conclude their weekend with a positive note as they hosted University of Texas at El Paso on Sunday, Oct. 4. The team defeated the Miners in straight sets with scores of 25-19, 25-13 and 25-23 to improve their record to 10-6 (4-2 C-USA). With this win, the team continues its perfect play at home against conference opponents.

The Panthers started the match with intensity, posting 18 kills and a .406 hitting percentage and only allowing the Miners to hit .143. UTEP struggled hitting the ball even more in the second set, finishing with a hitting percentage of .000. In the final set, the Miners kept things close; however, Senior, Gloria Levorin, helped the team complete the sweep with seven kills down the stretch.

Sophomore, Brianna Gogins, finished the match with 10 kills and a .625 hitting percentage. Castro led the team with 11 kills and Friesen and Dodd combined for 39 assists. As a team, the Panthers totalled 50 kills and only 13 errors and held the Miners to a .132 hitting percentage and 17 errors.

These two games mark the halfway point for the Panther’s current homestand. On Tuesday, Oct. 6, Florida Gulf Coast University will travel to FIU for a non-conference game and on Friday, Oct. 9, the team will host University of North Carolina at Charlotte.