It’s like clockwork before every volleyball game. Prairie View teammates Kylee Owens and Janyah Henderson seek out each other for their handshake ritual.
There is a message that isn’t spoken but still received at that moment.
“We will be that net and we’re like pressing for you,’” Henderson said. “It’s reminding ourselves to play selfless.”
Owens and Henderson are indeed playing for each and their Panther teammates this season. The result has been a team defined by its unselfish play and relentless execution around the net.
“Reminding ourselves to play selfless,” Henderson pointed to as a key for the Panthers’ success this season. “Remember it’s not just for yourself but for the next person beside you.”
Owens chimes in, “It’s getting this ball up for someone else so they can get this kill.”
Owens and Henderson have been two of the Panthers standouts this season after both are returning from impressive campaigns in 2023. Henderson, a 5-foot-11 middle blocker, was the 2023 SWAC Freshman of the Year. Owens, a 5-foot-9 junior, has established herself as one of the top outside hitters in the SWAC during the past two seasons.
The two have combined to help the Panthers remain among the elite in the SWAC.
“They are doing well,” said second-year PV coach Cheri Lindsay, whose team dropped two big games at home this past weekend to conference leader Florida A&M and now second-place Bethune-Cookman. “They are staying aggressive. Janyah was dealing with an injury at the beginning of the season. She is obviously back in full go right now.
“K.O. is going to work as hard as she possibly can and do it all. I think the good thing about that is this year we have more weapons around them to make them better to kind of give them a break to where all the pressure doesn’t need to be on their shoulders.”
Coming into last weekend’s matches, Henderson ranked in the top four in the SWAC in hitting percentage (.274) and fifth in blocks. Owens was top five in kills with a 3.33 kills per game average and was third in points scored per game (3.84).
But instead of resting on their impressive play, Owens and Henderson both point to how they want to improve for the team.
“I feel like it could be better honestly, compared to last year as Freshman of the Year and then having a minor injury at the beginning of this year,” said Henderson, who is a product of Cypress Ranch. “The minor injury, I felt like it created a little mental block in my capabilities of what I think I can do. So it’s been a thing of constantly trying to overcome that.”
It’s also been a matter of continuing to build for Owens, who recently reached a milestone. But still, it’s a matter of keeping the main thing the main thing.
“It’s been great,” said Owens, who is from Culver City, Calif. “I just reached my 1,000th kill, so I’m real excited about that.
“Just keeping up what I do best, which is playing for my teammates.”
Owens and Henderson have been huge in the Panthers’ success this season. They were pushing the Rattlers for first place in the standings before being swept 3-0 in matches against FAMU and Bethune-Cookman.
“A six-rotation outside is going to be critical to anybody’s success, especially when they are hitting from all over the court, playing defense and doing most things,” said Lindsay, whose team has slipped to fourth place in the SWAC standings with a 6-3 conference record and 9-15 overall. “But the crazy thing is every single person on this team is critical to our success whether they are playing or not.”
