BEAUMONT, Texas — Through the highs and lows, the Lamar University volleyball team was able to stay composed to complete the sweep of the Prairie View A&M Panthers, 25-16, 25-18, 25-21, during the home opener Tuesday night at the McDonald Gym.

"I thought that we were composed enough to be able to be right there," said head coach Ariel Apolinario. "When things were not going well, we were strong enough that we knew if we stayed patient long enough, we were going to be able to score some points.

"We also put some pressure from the defensive side of things, which is another area that we needed to improve."

There were 10 different lead changes in the opening set.

The Cardinals finished strong by going on an 11-1 run to pull away and close out the set. Maja Malinowska tallied four kills during the run while Hailey McEllrath served up two aces.

LU carried its momentum over into the second set by beginning on a 5-0 run. Kinley Elms got three straight kills to start off the run.

McEllrath continued her precise serving as she tallied two more aces to put her team ahead by seven.

Malinowska tallied three kills during a 4-0 run to extend the lead to 10.

The LU lead grew to 12 with a score of 20-8.

Prairie View A&M tried to creep back into the set, but the Cardinals prevailed as Elms tallied a kill to notch the set point.

The third and final set featured eight lead changes.

LU had trailed 13-8 after the Panthers went on a 4-0 run in the middle of the set.

The Cardinals retaliated with a 4-0 run as Lyric Jordan and Daniella Udegbunam each came away with a kill during the run.

LU took the lead after scoring three unanswered points. McEllrath and Elms combined for a block to give the Cardinals a 15-14 lead.

Prairie View A&M kept up the suspense, but the Cardinals did not falter.

"It's been fun watching the young athletes coming in and, at times, it looks like they've been in college for a couple of years," Apolinario added. "At home, we haven't seen the best version yet. I'm excited."

MATCH NOTES

• Malinowska finished with 13 kills, two solo blocks and eight digs.
• Elms added nine kills.
• Taisha Rhone tallied six kills and three block assists.
• Udegbunam had five kills, two solo blocks and four block assists.
• Jordan tallied four kills, two block assists and three digs.
• The Cardinals had 16 block assists as McEllrath had four.
• Gabby Baker led the defense with 12 digs.
• Alexa Gonzalez added with 11 digs and 17 assists.
• Jo Moffitt helped the offense with 14 assists while she had seven digs.
• LU served up six aces, four by McEllrath and one from Gonzalez.
• The Cardinals are now 28-18 in home openers since 1980 and 21-5 since 2000.
• LU is 25-1 all-time against Prairie View A&M since the first meeting in 1987.

UP NEXT

The Cardinals compete at the Green Wave Classic Friday-Sunday in New Orleans, La. The first match is at 6:30 p.m. against Tulane.