Atlanta, GA-In a match that would have kept Clark Atlanta in the hunt for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) title with a win, the Lady Panthers gave a valiant effort in a hard fought five set loss 25-20, 17-25, 25-16, 15-25, and 13-15 to top-ranked Claflin University Tuesday at the SIAC volleyball championship in Albany, GA.
After dropping to the loser bracket with a loss to Benedict College in the second round Monday, CAU had quite a mountain to climb to reach the finals. But the Lady Panthers continued their pursuit of the conference title with straight set wins over Tuskegee and Fort Valley Tuesday before facing Claflin.
Clark Atlanta played like a team on a mission against the Claflin Panthers, but came up short in this win or go home match. In the deciding set, CAU climbed back from a three point deficit, traded points with Claflin and then knotted the set at 13. After the Panthers won the next point, a CAU missed hit on game point sealed the victory.
CAU First-Year Head Coach Brittany Black said, “They played like they didn’t want it to end. This is the best our team has played all season, and I am pleased with their effort despite the loss.”
Chanel Trice led the Clark Atlanta Lady Panthers in the tournament with 27 kills followed by Ashley Brooks with 27 and Alexandria Mattox with 20 while Danica Lawrence recorded six blocks. Defensively, Librero Tyneisha Spears finished with 33 digs including 19 against Claflin.
The Lady Panthers finished the season with a 14-18 overall record and 9-7 in conference play.
For all the latest sports information including stats and scores, please visit CAU official athletics website www.clarkatlantasports.com.
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