In a close, three-set battle, the Clark Atlanta Lady Panthers fell to Fort Valley State 3-0 Tuesday in L.S. Epps Gymnasium.
The Lady Panthers (4-14, 3-11 SIAC) loss means they will miss out on any chance to make the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament. The top four teams in the SIAC's East and West divisions qualify for the tournament. Clark Atlanta could win their last three matches while the fourth place team, Savannah State, could lose their final three games, but the Lady Panthers would narrowly miss out on moving into fourth place by percentage points.
Tuesday, the Lady Panthers erased a nine-point deficit in the first set when they pulled to within two points at 20-18 as
Taylor Prude's kill capped a 9-2 run.
Kia Thomas and
Lauryn Terry's block led CAU to a 22-21 lead. FVSU regained the lead, but Clark Atlanta staved off defeat by scoring three straight points to make the score 25-24. FVSU scored the final three points of the set to win the first set 27-25.
The Lady Panthers kept things close in the second set, trailing 17-15 after
Lauryn Terry's kill. But an 8-4 Wildcat-run gave them the second set 25-19.
The third set saw both teams battle deep into the frame.
Ashley Elmore, playing in her final home game as was Prude, has a kill that tied the set at 20-20. A few minutes later, Nia Bell had two kills during a three-point swing that saw FVSU go up 24-21 and on the brink of closing out the match. But the Lady Panthers, highlighted by two Thomas kills and one by Prude, scored the next four points to go up 25-24 with a chance to win the set. But Fort Valley State scored the next three points to win the set and the match.
Prude led CAU with ten kills and 13 digs, while Thomas finished with nine kills, three blocks and an ace.
Lauryn Terry had eight kills, 11 digs and a block, Elmore had five kills, eight digs and three aces, and
TiAna Crider had ten digs and
Chara Robbins had 29 assists.
India King led FVSU with 14 kills, while Nia Bell added 13 kills, 11 digs, two aces and two blocks.
Clark Atlanta is back on the court Friday when they visit Benedict College at 6:30 p.m.
