ORANGEBURG, SC (October 5, 2022) – The Claflin Lady Panthers (9-3) returned to their winning ways with a dominating three-set win over the short-handed Clinton College Golden Bears (4-8), Wednesday evening. The Lady Panthers combined an efficient offense with some stellar defense to pull away with the victory.
It was the Lady Panthers’ strong overall play that led the team’s victory. Offensively, the Lady Panthers did a great job with 28 total kills in the match while forcing 32 attack errors by the Golden Bears. Defensively, the team was even better with 49 digs and 10 total blocks (four solo). Senior outside hitter Simone Newell led the way with nine kills and 12 digs in the match. She led three Lady Panthers who reached double digit digs in the match as senior defensive specialist Ayanna Harrison and freshman setter Me’Auhre Lewis both added 11 digs. Freshman middle blocker Kaitlin Ham joined Perry with four total blocks (two solo) as well.
It took a while for the Lady Panthers to get things going, but once they got started, the team never looked back. After a slow start, the Lady Panthers found themselves trailing the Golden Bears, 11-17. The Lady Panthers would storm back in a major way as a Newell kill capped a monstrous 12-6 run that left the Lady Panthers leading 23-19. The Lady Panthers would go on to seal the 25-21 win.
In the second set, the Lady Panthers wasted little time in taking control of the set. The two teams would play to a 12-12 tie before the Lady Panthers broke ahead for a 15-12 lead after a kill from senior outside hitter Mya Broom. From there, the Lady Panthers never looked back as they sealed the victory.
There was much less drama in the third set as the Lady Panthers dominated to claim the win. A Claflin six-point run gave the team a 14-9 lead early in the set while a 9-2 run sealed the victory.
With the win, the Lady Panthers improve to 9-3 on the season. The team will return to action this weekend when they take part in the second Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Volleyball Round Up. The Lady Panthers will open the weekend against Bowie State at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, followed by a 5:00 p.m. match against Virginia Union. The Lady Panthers will close the weekend with a 11:00 a.m. match against Shaw.