Sports

GOLDEN LIONS LOSE 37TH STRAIGHT MATCH IN VOLLEYBALL

By Troy Schulte/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Saturday, November 7, 2009 12:39 AM CST

The Arkansas-Pine Bluff volleyball team still has one match to play, but its 2009 season essentially ended weeks ago.

After next Thursday’s match at Grambling State, the Lady Lions will not participate in the following week’s Southwestern Athletic Tournament at Grambling, instead they will pack up a season that just may very well end without them having won a match.

In their final match at H.O. Clemmons Arena on Friday, the Lady Lions waved goodbye to a pair of seniors in a match that resembled the 26 previous this season. They showed spurts of solid play at times, but lacked the depth and consistency necessary to keep that going.

UAPB was swept by Prairie View A&M 25-12, 25-14, 25-16, to lose its 37th straight match dating back to last season and it was the 25th time this season the Lady Lions lost in three sets.

“Consistency is the problem,” said senior middle blocker Philana Hemlee. “Definitely not what we thought was going to happen (this season). (But), I can’t be mad. We worked hard.”

UAPB first-year coach La’Kyva Walton exited the arena immediately following the match and declined comment.

Jenitra Shields echoed her classmate’s disappointment, but added with a roster that fluctuated as much as it did this season and never included more than eight players, the Lady Lions (0-27, 0-7) didn’t have many options.

“I just hope, for the program in the future, they have a better set-up, a better squad, more girls, more talent,” Shields said. “It took me half of the season to come to the realization that you need a few subs, you need more girls.”

On Friday, against the Panthers (13-17, 6-2), the Lady Lions fell behind 5-0 in the first set and were never within four points on their way to a 25-12 loss. In the second, the Panthers jumped to a 15-4 lead before finishing off a 25-14 victory.

UAPB showed a bit of life in the final set. After falling behind 19-9 and 20-10 the Lady Lions got within 20-15 with kills from Hemlee, Jasmine Jacobs, Shields, an ace from Mica Franklin and an attack error on Prairie View.

But a service error by Franklin turned possession back to Prairie View and the Panthers scored five of the next six points to close out the match.

It was certainly a disappointing end for Hemlee and Shields as seniors, but both are trying to stay positive as the season concludes next week. A win would be the sweetest ways to end their careers, especially for Hemlee, who transferred from Grambling prior to last season.

Shields led UAPB with 10 kills and added four blocks and Hemlee had eight kills and two blocks.

“I would love to go out on a win,” Shields said. “We’re going to keep trying. There’s no quitters here. We’re just going to keep playing hard and trying to finish up the season.”

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