Women's Volleyball 9/20/2026 8:36:00 AM

Lady Panthers Improve to 8-2 Overall with 3-1 Record at SIAC Crossover I

Clark Atlanta boasts 4-1 record in conference play

ALBANY, Ga. – The Lady Panthers volleyball team headed south to compete in the first SIAC Crossover of the 2026 season. Clark Atlanta went 3-1 across four matches and improved to 8-1 overall with a 4-1 mark in conference play.

Clark Atlanta 3, LeMoyne-Owen 0 (Game 1)

Clark Atlanta earned a straight-set victory over LeMoyne-Owen, defeating the Magicians 25-19, 25-21, 25-20 on Friday at HPER Gym.

Kai Harris led the Panthers with six kills and added a block assist. Antonique Coleman recorded five kills, one solo block and two block assists, while Carmella Jones and Brianna Little contributed four kills apiece.

Sydney Ray directed the offense with 17 assists and five digs. Nakayla James anchored the defense with a match-high 14 digs while adding two service aces. Amasjah Gillings and London Jackson also recorded two aces each.

Clark Atlanta took control of the opening set with a 6-0 run that broke an 18-all tie. The Panthers never trailed in the second set and built a 12-4 advantage before holding off a late LeMoyne-Owen rally. In the final frame, Clark Atlanta used a 5-0 run to take a 12-7 lead and closed the match on a block by Little and Harris.

The Panthers finished with 25 kills, 47 digs, six service aces and five total blocks. Clark Atlanta improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in SIAC play, while LeMoyne-Owen fell to 0-14 and 0-1 in the conference.

Clark Atlanta 3, Tuskegee 1 (Game 2)

Sawyer Arbuckle registered 26 kills as Clark Atlanta defeated Tuskegee 3-1 on Friday afternoon.

The Panthers won by set scores of 25-15, 22-25, 28-26 and 25-17 to improve to 7-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play.

Arbuckle hit .478 while adding 16 digs, three block assists and one service ace. Kai Harris contributed 17 kills on a .412 hitting percentage, while Carmella Jones added nine kills, eight digs, one solo block and three block assists.

Sydney Ray directed the offense with 46 assists and added 17 digs. Nakayla James led the defensive effort with a match-high 27 digs and 10 assists.

After the teams split the opening two sets, Clark Atlanta outlasted Tuskegee in a tightly contested third frame. Facing set point at 26-25, the Panthers scored three consecutive points behind a kill from Antonique Coleman, an Arbuckle service ace and a Harris kill.

Clark Atlanta carried that momentum into the fourth set, hitting .500 with 20 kills and only two attack errors to close out the victory.

The Panthers finished the match with 63 kills, 92 digs, seven service aces, and nine total blocks.

Clark Atlanta 3, Kentucky State 0 (Game 3)

Kai Harris recorded a match-high 13 kills as Clark Atlanta swept Kentucky State 3-0 on Saturday morning.

The Panthers earned the conference victory by set scores of 25-19, 25-21 and 25-21, improving to 8-1 overall and 4-0 in SIAC play.

Harris posted a .346 hitting percentage and added six digs. Sawyer Arbuckle and Carmella Jones contributed seven kills apiece, while Brianna Little and Antonique Coleman each finished with four.

Sydney Ray directed the offense with 25 assists and added eight digs. She also led Clark Atlanta's service attack with five aces. Nakayla James recorded a team-high 10 digs, four assists and two aces.

Clark Atlanta broke a 16-all tie in the opening set with a 7-1 run to take control. After Kentucky State evened the second frame at 20, the Panthers scored five of the final six points, capped by an Arbuckle kill. Clark Atlanta then built a 20-12 advantage in the third set before closing out the sweep.

The Panthers finished with 35 kills, 46 digs, 10 service aces and three total blocks while holding Kentucky State to a .095 hitting percentage.

Clark Atlanta 2, Central State 3 (Game 4)

Clark Atlanta rallied from a two-set deficit but fell to Central State in five sets to close out the SIAC Crossover.

Central State earned the 3-2 victory by set scores of 27-25, 25-18, 25-27, 16-25 and 16-14. The Panthers moved to 8-2 overall and 4-1 in SIAC play.

Kai Harris led Clark Atlanta with 15 kills, a .481 hitting percentage and 10 digs. Brianna Little added 11 kills, while Carmella Jones finished with nine kills. Antonique Coleman contributed seven kills, one solo block and three block assists.

Sydney Ray recorded 41 assists and 10 digs. Nakayla James led the Panthers defensively with 24 digs and added three service aces, while Sawyer Arbuckle finished with 18 digs.

After dropping the first two sets, Clark Atlanta fought back to win a tightly contested third frame. Harris delivered three late kills before Little's kill and a Central State attack error secured the 27-25 victory. The Panthers then hit .290 and held Central State to a .081 hitting percentage in a dominant fourth set to force a decisive fifth.

Clark Atlanta held a 12-10 advantage in the final set, but Central State rallied. Harris tied the score at 14 with her final kill before Central State claimed the last two points.
The Panthers finished with 50 kills, 85 digs, seven service aces and 5.5 total blocks.

UP NEXT

The Lady Panthers return to action on Wednesday, September 23, as they host Paine College at 6 p.m. inside L.S. Epps Gymnasium.

Follow Clark Atlanta Athletics

For complete coverage of Clark Atlanta athletics, follow the Panthers on social media: X (@cauathletics), Facebook (CAUAthletics) and Instagram (@cauathletics).

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Players Mentioned

#6 Sawyer Arbuckle: OH; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#2 Nakayla James: L/DS/S; 5' 4"; Junior

#18 Antonique Coleman: MB; 6' 0"; Senior

#1 Amasjah Gillings: L/DS; 5' 1"; Senior

#16 Carmella Jones: RS; 5' 11"; Junior

#8 Sydney Ray: S; 5' 8"; Freshman

#4 London Jackson: S; 5' 7"; Freshman

#14 Brianna Little: MB; 5' 8"; Junior

#29 Kai Harris: OH; 5' 10"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#6 Sawyer Arbuckle
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: OH

#2 Nakayla James
: 5' 4"; Junior
: L/DS/S

#18 Antonique Coleman
: 6' 0"; Senior
: MB

#1 Amasjah Gillings
: 5' 1"; Senior
: L/DS

#16 Carmella Jones
: 5' 11"; Junior
: RS

#8 Sydney Ray
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: S

#4 London Jackson
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: S

#14 Brianna Little
: 5' 8"; Junior
: MB

#29 Kai Harris
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: OH