The Panola College Fillies dominated Saturday sweeping both Mountain View (25-12, 25-16, 25-15) and Southwestern Christian College (25-5, 25-5, 25-13).

 

 

Against Mountain View, freshman middle blocker Saadia Sahadeo had a career high of 8 kills and 4 total blocks. Sophomore middle Rachel Henderson and freshman right side Deedy Rouege added 5 kills apiece. Freshman setter Kinly Carter dished out 16 assists and freshman defensive specialist Camie Copeland picked up 12 digs.

 

In the second match of the day against SWCC, Rachel Henderson racked up 11 kills on .667 hitting, freshman right side Melanie Casteel picked up her career high in kills with 8, and Sahadeo added 6 kills and 4 blocks. Freshman setter Cayman Sutton led with 19 assists, and sophomore libero Morgan Currie chipped in 7 digs.

 

The five sophomores who are completing their last season with Panola Volleyball this fall were honored after the match. This accomplished group includes Cyrani Butler, Victoria Baptista, Morgan Currie, Rachel Henderson, and Ana Oliveira.

 

Please read below for more information about our sophomores and their accomplishments:

 

#4 Cyrani Butler; Defensive Specialist; Coral Gables, FL

Butler has appeared in 29 sets, tallying 23 digs and 7 service aces. Just this morning, she led the team with 4 service aces in the victory against Mountainview College. Cyrani is currently majoring in communications and is set to graduate from Panola College this spring before continuing her education at a university. While there, she plans to major in Kinesiology with plans of becoming a publicist in her future. 

 

Victoria Baptista; Outside Hitter; Sao Paulo, BRA

Baptista has played a crucial role for Panola Volleyball as a 6-rotation outside hitter since her freshman year, appearing in 63 matches over the past 2 seasons. She was named Honorable Mention All-Conference her freshman season at PC, in which she finished with 187 kills, 385 digs, and 59 total blocks. This year, she has taken her offense to a new level, already tallying 193 kills for 2.10 per set, and finishing with 9 or more kills in 12 matches this season. Defensively, Victoria has continued to impress as a sophomore currently ranking 3rd on the team in digs per set and 4th in blocks per set. Baptista is currently majoring in Business with plans to continue her education and playing career at a university where she will major in economics after her graduation from Panola this May. 

 

Morgan Currie; Libero; Bryan, TX

Currie has appeared in 62 total matches anchoring our floor defense as libero for the past two years. As a freshman, her 4.47 digs per set, 594 total digs and 24 service aces earned her 1st Team All- Conference recognition as well as the prestigious “Libero of the Year” superlative for Region XIV-North.  As a sophomore, Morgan is averaging 4.12 digs per set and is coming off of an impressive stretch where she posted 15 or more digs in 6 of the last 10 matches, including three 20+ dig performances. After graduation from Panola this May, Morgan will continue her playing career and education at a university where she plans to major in Architecture with dreams of becoming an architect or owning her own business one day.    

 

Rachel Henderson; Middle Blocker; Ft Worth, TX

Henderson made her physical presence at the net early playing in a starting role as a freshman at Right Side. Last year she was third on the team in kills with 1.88 per set and third on the team in blocks with 1.02, earning Honorable Mention All-Conference. This year she has expanded her role offensively, currently 2nd on the team averaging 2.29 kills per set for a .343 hitting clip, and leading the team with 1.13 blocks per set. She reached her season high of 13 kills twice now, both in huge 5-game wins on the road at Navarro and Tyler. Rachel is currently majoring in Kinesiology with coaching aspirations, and plans to pursue her playing career and education at a university upon graduating from Panola this spring. 

 

Ana Oliveira; Outside Hitter; Sao Paulo, BRA

A crucial component to Panola’s success the past two years, Oliveira appeared in all 39 matches as a 6-rotation outsider hitter before expanding her role to all include setter for the 2015 Regional Tournament after an injury sidelined the team’s starting setter. She was 2nd on the team in kills that year with 829 on the season, also finishing with 202 assists, 41 service aces, 39 blocks and 374 total digs. Her contributions earned her 2nd Team All-Conference honors as a freshman, followed by Region XIV All-Tournament honors highlighted by a gutsy performance that spearheaded the inspiring comeback down 14-10 in game 5 against Wharton County in the opening round. This year, she leads the team in kills per set with 2.33 on an impressive .336 hitting clip. She has also contributed 31 services aces and 300 total digs in an all-around effort to lead her team this year, highlighted by a Most Valuable Player weekend at the Lee College Invitational in Baytown. Majoring in general studies and graduating from Panola in May, Ana will continue her playing career and education in Kinesiology at a school yet to be decided. 

 

This year’s sophomore class has taken the program to new heights, earning national recognition defeating perennial powerhouses: Blinn College, TJC, Central Florida, San Jacinto, Miami Dade, Missouri State-West Plains and Iowa Western throughout their Panola career. Together, they have amassed a total record of 57-11, and it’s through their hard work and dedication that PC volleyball is currently ranked #1 in the country.