Saturday, September 17
JAGS SPLIT PAIR OF MATCHES ON FINAL DAY OF BULLDOG INVITATIONAL
ATHENS, Ga. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team split a pair of matches Saturday at the Bulldog Invitational at the Ramsey Center.
USA (9-4) opened the second day of the tournament with a win in straight sets over Bethune-Cookman. The Jaguars fell to Georgia 3-1 to close the tournament. Jaguar freshman Iva Durdanovic and sophomore Kristina Alabastro were named to the all-tournament team.
"It is definitely a process, and each week we set out things we wanted to improve in," USA head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said of the team's non-conference schedule. "Overall I feel like we improved greatly as a team on the court and off the court – just the intangibles of what it takes to be a team and how we also play on the court as a team."
South Alabama will return to action next weekend when it hosts a pair of matches to open Sun Belt Conference play. USA will take on Texas-Arlington at 6:30 p.m. Fri., Sept. 23, at Jag Gym, followed by a matchup with Texas State at 12:30 p.m. Sun., Sept. 25.
USA 3, Bethune-Cookman 0
The Jaguars defeated the Wildcats in straight sets (25-17, 25-16, 25-22) to earn their second win at the Bulldog Invitational.
Iva Durdanovic tied a career high with 16 kills, and recorded her team-best fifth double-double after also posting 12 digs. Nikki Gittens finished with 11 digs and a .529 hitting percentage, along with three block assists, and Kristina Alabastro posted 11 kills, one assist, three digs and two block assists, while Mechell Daniel added 10 kills and three digs. Kellyn Reeves recorded 29 assists in three sets, while Ashlyn Roberts added 20.
South Alabama scored eight straight points, highlighted by a pair of kills from Alabastro and a service ace by Reeves, to take an 8-2 lead. The Jags built a nine-point advantage at 15-6 midway through the set following three straight points that featured a pair of kills by Gittens and a kill by Durdanovic. A kill by Gittens and service ace by Abby Baker clinched the first set for the Jaguars at 25-17.
USA fell behind early in set two, but reeled off seven consecutive points – highlighted by three kills from Durdanovic, one kill by Symone Stephenson and a service ace from Reeves – to build an 8-2 lead. BCU rallied to tie the score at 10-10, but the Jaguars used another six-point swing – featuring kills by Gittens and Durdanvoic and a service ace by Arissa Chappell – to build an 18-11 lead. South Alabama scored the final four points of the set on a pair of kills by Gittens, a kill by Daniel and a kill on set point by Alabastro for a 25-16 win in set two.
The Jaguars rallied from a four-point deficit, 16-12, to clinch the match with a 25-22 win in set three. USA scored five straight points midway through the set, highlighted by a pair of kills from Alabastro, and one kill apiece by Daniel and Gittens, to take a 21-19 advantage. A kill by Daniel on a 24-22 Jaguar match point clinched the set and match for South Alabama.
"We played really well this morning," Hendrichovsky said. "We put three sets together, and had moments where we were down and had to fight back. Overall we had a consistent energy and fight, and we played very well in the match."
Georgia 3, USA 1
South Alabama won the opening set, but Georgia responded by taking the next three sets for a 3-1 win.
Durdanovic finished with a game- and career-high 22 kills and a .322 hitting percentage, while also recording eight digs and one block assist. Daniel added 14 kills and four digs, while Baker finished with 23 digs in four sets. Roberts recorded 26 assists, and Reeves added 22 assists.
USA opened the match with a 27-25 win in set one. With the score tied 9-9, USA scored three straight points on kills by Daniel and Kelley Hartman along with a Bulldog attack error for a 12-9 advantage. South Alabama built a five-point lead later in the set at 18-13 following consecutive kills by Alabastro. But Georgia answered with five straight points to tie the game 18-18. With the score tied 25-25, Alabastro delivered consecutive service aces to clinch the set. Durdanovic and Daniel each recorded five kills in the first set.
"We came out in set one and really attacked and stuck with our game plan," Hendrichovsky said. "We were more of the aggressor in that set, but we kind of relaxed and lost that aggressiveness going into the second set and then the momentum of the match turned. I thought the third set was a very even, well-played volleyball set, and they (Georgia) were able to make some plays at the end of the set that helped them solidify it. And the fourth set was another hard-fought set; it was a good match."
Georgia evened the match at one set apiece after a 25-17 win in set two. A kill by Durdanovic cut the Jaguar deficit to 9-8 in the set before Georgia scored six of the next seven points to build a 15-9 advantage. The Bulldogs extended their lead to eight points, 20-12, later in the set and scored the final three points of the set on a kill by Meghan Donovan and a pair of Jaguar attack errors.
Georgia (12-1) earned a 25-22 win in set three to take a 2-1 lead in the match. South Alabama held a two-point lead at 20-18 late in the set following a kill by Daniel and a Bulldog attack error. But Georgia outscored the Jags 7-2 down the stretch, and scored the final three points of the set on Jaguar attack errors.
The Bulldogs clinched the match with a 25-20 win in set four. Georgia stretched its lead to seven points, 13-6, midway through the set. USA cut its deficit to three points three different times later in the set, but following a kill by Durdanovic to cut the Georgia lead to 22-19 the Bulldogs scored three of the final four points of the match and sealed the match on a Jaguar service error.
Mavs Sweep Saturday Matches
ARLINGTON, Texas - A successful weekend concluded as UT Arlington ended nonconference play with a bang and earned coach Diane Seymour her 200th career victory on Saturday at College Park Center.
Seymour is just the second coach in UTA Volleyball history to reach 200 wins, joining Mary Ridgway, who finished with 263. The Mavericks (6-9) finished off play in the UT Arlington Invitational with an overall record of 3-1. Saturday wins included a five-set thriller that saw the Mavs avoid a comeback bid by Houston Baptist and a convincing win to conclude the tournament over UTEP.
Ending nonconference play with momentum, UTA heads into Sun Belt action on the road with a pair of matches in Alabama. The trek begins on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at South Alabama before facing Troy on Sunday at 12 p.m.
Match 1: UT Arlington 3, Houston Baptist 2 (Final Stats)
After rushing to a 2-0 lead, UT Arlington would find itself finishing what it started in the final points of a fifth set to rout Houston Baptist 3-2 Saturday at College Park Center.
The Mavericks made quick work of the Huskies in the opening frame 25-9 behind a stellar defensive effort that produced nine blocks. Houston Baptist showed signs of life in the second set, but UTA stood firm 25-18 before the storm hit.
The Huskies managed two 5-0 runs throughout the third set with their match-best .314 hitting percentage, and out-hit the Mavs 18-11 in the fourth to force a final decision. Both teams traded leads in the final frame, but a pair of kills from Zhanelle Geathers swung momentum UTA's way to fuel the comeback 15-11.
The Mavericks close out the UTA Invitational against UTEP 7 p.m. at CPC.
PLAYERS OF THE MATCH
Kaitlyn Granger topped her career-high with 17 kills and hit at a clip of .310. Qiana Canete picked up a double-double with 12 kills and 16 digs. Taylor Murata notched a team-high 21 digs.
KEY STATS
The Huskies had a tough time pushing anything past UTA in the first set as the Mavs put up nine blocks to flatten HBU's hitting percentage to -.226. The Mavs would go on to out-block the Huskies 15-2. HBU's match-high .314 attack percentage in the third lit enough of a fire to even the action at 2 apiece.
Match 2: UT Arlington 3, UTEP 1 (Final Stats)
The Mavericks picked up right where they left off in Match 2. UTA hit at a .287 clip overall in the match and a match-best .425 to close it out in the fourth.
A balanced attack lifted UTA to a convincing 25-23 Set 1 win as Canete, Granger and Geathers each had four kills. The Miners evened things up in the second before UTA got it going again to take the match.
Granger powered five kills in the third, while Ingram and Canete combined for six kills. UTA pulled ahead to a 23-17 lead but UTEP didn't go away without a fight. The Miners strung together a run to pull back within two and forcing a timeout. But it was the Mavs who came out on top, claiming the third 25-21.
Set 4 started with UTA coming out on fire. Geathers pounded back-to-back points to build up a 9-5 lead and the blocking antics of Canete and Ingram got together to give the Mavs their largest lead at five points. UTA continued to coast on offense and built up a 22-15 lead before making the final run. A block, ace and kill by canete clinched the match.
A-State Volleyball Splits at Final Day of Hoosier Classic
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (9/17/16) – The Arkansas State volleyball squad took home a 3-0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-17) win over IUPUI after falling to Cleveland State 3-1 (14-25, 30-32, 25-22, 27-29) in the morning at the last day of the Hoosier Classic being held at University Gym in Bloomington, Ind.
Carlisa May was named to the all-tournament team for the event as she tallied 49 kills over the three matches for a 4.45 per set average. She hit .264 and added five digs with three blocks defensively.
The Red Wolves (8-6) raced out to a 10-4 advantage in set one after a Jessica Uke kill that forced the Jaguars (4-11) to call a timeout. A Kenzie Fields service ace stretched the lead out for A-State to 16-9 and saw IUPUI call its final timeout of the set. The Jaguars were able to get within 21-15, but A-State went on a 4-0 run with a Brentlee Weaver kill ending the set at 25-15 in favor of the Red Wolves.
The second set was closely contested with both teams knotted at 10-10 after the first 20 points, but IUPUI was able to go on a 6-3 run to take a 16-13 edge. A-State scored three straight points to force a timeout at 16-16 and both teams keep trading points until it was tied 22-22. However, Arkansas State was able to win three of the final four points, the last coming on a kill by Fields, to win the game 25-23.
The third game began with A-State jumping out to a 13-8 advantage on an Anna Murphy kill and extended the lead to 18-10 after a Uke kill. IUPUI battled back to within 21-17, but the Red Wolves closed out the set on a 4-0 run, with two kills by Murphy representing the final points, to win 25-17 and claim the match by a score of 3-0.
“It was certainly nice to respond this way after the loss earlier in the day,” A-State head volleyball coach David Rehr said. “Murphy played tremendous this weekend and especially this match, but it was really a team effort in this win. It doesn’t feel great to go 2-1, but this was a nice way to end our non-conference season and go into conference play.”
Murphy led the team with 14 kills against the Jaguars on a .632 hitting percentage, while May provided 12 of her own on a .292 attacking percentage. Mallory Warrington dished out 36 assists and also added eight digs with five kills. Defensively, Markie Schaedig registered 15 digs, while Uke led the team with three blocks.
The Red Wolves got behind early to Cleveland State (9-3) with the Vikings earning a 10-3 edge. A-State could never get back in it as the Vikings won the game 25-14. However, set two was a much different story with both teams battling to a 9-9 tie. CSU got out to an 18-13 advantage, but A-State responded to battle back within 22-20 on a kill by Fields to force a timeout. The Red Wolves eventually earned set point at 24-23 and had two more at 26-25 and 27-26, but couldn’t clinch the set. The two teams wound up tied at 30-30 before the Vikings won two points to win 32-30.
Trailing 2-0, Arkansas State raced out to a 13-10 advantage in set three and appeared to be in control with a 20-15 edge. Cleveland State rallied to tie the game 21-21, but A-State scored four of the last five points to claim a 25-22 set win after a May kill.
The Red Wolves appeared to be in a groove by jumping out in front 17-9 in set four after a Uke kill. However, the Vikings clawed their way back to tie the set at 23-23. A-State earned the next point on a May kill for set point, but two straight points for Cleveland State put them ahead 25-24. A-State came back to earn another set point at 26-25 after a Weaver kill, but the Vikings earned four of the next five points to claim the set 29-27 and the match 3-1.
“This was a disappointing match for us because we feel like we should have won,” added Rehr. “It was a short turnaround so that was tough on us, but we could have, and in my mind, should have won sets two and four. We have to learn how to finish games better and win those sets, especially against a good team like Cleveland State.”
May led the Red Wolves with 15 kills, while Murphy (14) and Weaver (13) were also in double figures. Warrington handed out 50 assists with Schaedig leading the defensive effort with 30 digs. Murphy and Uke both had three blocks apiece.
Arkansas State returns to action Friday, Sept. 23 with its first Sun Belt Conference match of the season at Appalachian State. First serve from Boone, N.C., is set for 5:30 p.m. (CT).
Coastal Downs Georgia Tech in Four Sets in Home Opener
CONWAY - The Coastal Carolina volleyball team recorded a four-set victory in its 2016 home opener Friday night at the HTC Center, downing Georgia Tech 25-19, 25-19, 18-25, 25-22 in the second match of the Coastal Carolina Classic presented by Hilton.
The victory is Coastal's third straight against the Yellow Jackets, and improves the Chants to 8-2 on the season. Georgia Tech falls to 8-3 with the loss, and moves to 1-1 in the tournament after winning the opening match against North Florida Friday morning.
The CCU Classic continues on Saturday at the HTC Center with a pair of matches for the Chants. Coastal takes on North Florida at 11 a.m. before closing the tournament with a second match against Georgia Tech at 5 p.m.
As a team the Chants held advantages in kills (50-44), hitting (.173 - .132), aces (7-0) and blocks (9-6).
Annayka Legros continued her impressive season with a match-leading 14 kills while hitting .296, a team high. The senior middle blocker was also a large presence defensively with five total blocks (four assists, one solo).
Leah Hardeman followed with 13 kills, and nearly completed the double-double with nine digs. Sara Boothe and Kate Federico provided 24 and 20 assists, respectively, and Carla Cahill set personal and match highs with 20 digs. Natasa Savovic accounted for three of Coastal's seven aces while putting down eight kills and tallying seven digs.
Teegan Van Gunst closed the match with 13 kills, and was the only Yellow Jacket to reach double digits in the category. The senior outside hitter also notched 16 digs to complete the double-double.
Coastal opened the match hitting .278, and overtook the lead in set one after consecutive kills from Tahleia Bishop put the Chants in front 11-9. The back-to-back points from Bishop sparked an 8-3 Coastal run that put the Chants comfortably ahead 17-12. Georgia Tech managed to cut the deficit to three points later in the set, 22-19, but a kill from Hardeman and an ace from Boothe helped put the game away.
The Chants surrendered the opening point of the second set, but led for the remainder of the game after Legros put the Chants ahead 2-1. Georgia Tech was limited to hitting .024 in the set, and the six kills and two blocks from Legros powered the Chants to a 25-19 set win.
Georgia Tech responded by hitting .400 in the third frame, and received five kills Van Gunst. Coastal held a brief lead right from the start, but an early 8-3 Yellow Jacket run created too much of a difference for the Chants to overcome.
The closing set was the closest of the match, and featured nine ties and six lead changes. Savovic led all players with six kills in the fourth while Dora Lulic aided the win with three blocks. Coastal didn't secure the lead for good until Savovic's fourth kill of the set gave the Chants a 16-15 edge. Georgia Tech managed to the even the set one final time at 22-22, but a Yellow Jacket service error was followed by kills from Savovic and Bishop to close the match.
ULM's Jenkins Break School Record in Final Match of Gamecock Invitational
Jacksonville, Ala. – The ULM volleyball team split on day two of the Gamecock Classic with a five set win over Jacksonville State and three set loss to Kennesaw State.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Vs Kennesaw State
-The Warhawks had a slow start in set one but after a 4-1 run ULM lm was back within one point of Kennesaw State. The Owls however were able to regain a three to four-point lead that would see them through to a first set win.
-ULM retook the court ready to go and started the match with five ties. After a tie of nine, Kennesaw State worked its way to a three-point lead before going on a five point run that the Owls would ride through to a second set win.
-Kennesaw State continued to hold the momentum in set three despite the effort of the Warhawks. The Owls jumped out to an early lead that they would hold through the entirety of the set.
Vs Jacksonville State
-Jacksonville State took an early lead in set one. The Warhawks slowly made their advance to tie the score at nine, but were unable to take the lead as the Gamecocks went on a five-point run that they would ride to a first set win
-Set two was a battle for control with a total of 13 ties throughout the set. After a tie at 22, ULM beat JSU to the two-point advantage to take the set.
-The Gamecocks took an early lead after a 5-1 run that they would hold through the entirety of the set.
-After a couple of lead changes the Warhawks settled in and found their rhythm once again. The team capitalized off of a five point run to see that lead to another set win.
-In set five, ULM jumped out to an early lead and were the first to eight. After the teams switched sides Jacksonville State closed the scoring gap and took the lead. The Gamecocks were set to take the match at 14-11 but the Warhawks held them there. A back-and-forth battle ensued before ULM was able to put together the three points that would give them the match.
Troy Volleyball Falls to Eastern Illinois and FIU in Final Day of Maroon Classic
STARKVILLE, Mississippi – The Troy volleyball team fell to Eastern Illinois and FIU in three sets each on Saturday, the final day of the Maroon Classic, at Newell-Grissom Building in Starkville, Miss.
Troy (6-9) fell down early in the first set to Eastern Illinois (3-10) as the Panthers went on to win 25-22. In the second set, both teams bounced back and forth and it was tied at 21. Eastern Illinois scored the next three points and went up 24-21 en route to a 25-23 win. The Trojans fell in the final set 26-24.
The nightcap saw the Trojans battle, but fall behind late in the first set to FIU (6-7) and lost 25-23. Troy was up 21-18 in the second set, but the Panthers went on a 7-0 run that led to a 25-23 victory. The Trojans had a .061 hitting percentage in the third set and FIU capped off the set with a 5-0 run for a 25-20 clincher.
STAT OF THE GAME (EASTERN ILLINOIS)
The Trojans had 45 kills to the Panthers 35, but the Trojans committed 28 attack errors for a .137 hitting percentage for the match.
TURNING POINT (EASTERN ILLINOIS)
Troy had a 22-18 lead in the fifth set, but Eastern Illinois finished off the fifth set on a run that clinched the match for the Panthers. The Trojans committed 12 errors in the third set.
STAT OF THE GAME (FIU)
The third set saw eight lead changes and 14 total ties.
TURNING POINT (FIU)
FIU clinched the match in the third set with the set tied at 20 and the Panthers scoring five straight to win 25-20 and seal the match.
NOTEWORTHY (FIU)
• Jordyn Saulsberry had 12 kills in the match; only four away form her career-high.
• Logan Page had five total blocks in the set, which tied a career-high for the redshirt freshman.
ON TAP
Troy will return to the friendly confines of Trojan Arena for a Friday night matchup against Texas State. First serve is slated for 6 p.m.
Appalachian State Falls to Tigers to Finish Weekend
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. –– Appalachian State University volleyball dropped its 10th-straight matching a 3-1 (27-25, 21-25, 17-25, 18-25) loss to Tennessee State on Saturday.
The Mountaineers (2-11) were led again by freshman Emma Longley (Raleigh, N.C./Cardinal Gibbons) who tallied 14 kills and also finished with nine digs. Melissa McMath (Lexington, N.C./Central Davidson) also finished with double-digit kills and totaled 11.
Ashlyn Brown (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot/New Mexico State) led the offense in the Mountaineers’ second match on Saturday with 32 assists.
Defensively, both Olivia Loeffler (Lincolnton, N.C./North Lincoln) and Kati Stammen (Raleigh, N.C./Leesville Road) finished with double-digit digs and collected 13 and 10, respectively.
“There’s no sugar coating it. We aren’t a very good team right now. Yes, we have some injuries which have affected the lineup, but those are just excuses,” said head coach Matt Ginipro. “We still need to do a better job of playing the game and it needs to happen quickly. No one is happy about how our non-conference season went. A silver lining is that record doesn’t matter as we head into Sun Belt play, but it’s only a silver lining if we approach it with that mentality. Everyone, players and coaches, needs to step up their game if we want to be in Arlington in November.”
App State got off to a good start in the match with a set one victory. After pushing its lead to four at 13-9, the set would be tied seven more times. The Tigers led 23-20 when back-to-back kills from Longley and one from McMath tied the set at 23-23. With a 25-25 tie, consecutive kills from McMath sealed the set for the Black and Gold.
With the score tied midway through the second set at 14-14, Tennessee State would build a two point advantage and maintain that lead until extending it and eventually tying the match with a 25-21 set two win.
The Tigers (7-6) would pull away in the third set - leading 19-10 - and finish off the Mountaineers 25-17. Up 2-1 in the match, TSU would build a lead that Appalachian could not overcome and win the match with a 25-18 set four win.
Appalachian State will return to action on Friday, September 23 when it hosts Arkansas State at 6:30 p.m. inside Varsity Gymnasium.
Georgia Southern Falls Twice at Crimson-White Tourney
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Redshirt senior Alex Beecher recorded 27 digs in two matches to go over 2,000 for her career, but Georgia Southern fell twice in the second day of the Hampton Inn Crimson-White Invite Saturday.
Already Georgia Southern's all-time leader in digs, Beecher now has 2,005 for her career. Lauren Reichard had 21 kills to lead the Eagles (7-8) today, and Katie Bange finished with 18 kills.
ETSU and Alabama each topped GS 3-0.
The story vs. Alabama
All three sets were tight, and GS led in all three, but Alabama made late runs to finish them off. A kill by Megan Chevalier and a Tide hitting error trimmed the Alabama lead to 17-16, but the Bama responded with a 5-2 run. Stephanie Spencer's kill halted the spurt, but Alabama capped the set with another 3-1 run to go ahead 1-0 in the match. The Eagles hit .312 in the set, but Alabama hit .353 with just four errors.
Down 2-0, GS was ahead 15-14 in the third, but a 6-2 run, capped by a Krystal Rivers service ace, opened a 20-17 Bama cushion. The Eagles won the next point but that was as close as they would get.
Reichard and Bange each had nine kills, and Rivers led Alabama (11-2) with a match-high 17 kills. Beecher finished with 16 digs.
The story vs. ETSU
Trailing 2-0 in the match, GS fought hard in the third and had two cracks at set point but couldn't cash in. The Eagles fought off four set points and led 30-29, but Rylee Milhorn answered with a kill and AJ Lux put down consecutive kills to end the match.
Reichard led the Eagles with 12 kills and four blocks, while Bange recorded nine kills and 13 assists. Chevalier returned to action for the first time since August and posted five kills on nine swings.
Lux finished with 17 kills, eight digs and three blocks for ETSU (8-4).
GSU DROPS INVITATIONAL FINALE, FALLS IN FOUR SETS TO ECU
ATLANTA – In the final match of the GSU Invitational, Georgia State dropped a hard-fough match to East Carolina in the Sports Arena. The Pirates were able to remain unbeaten (10-0), but the Panthers didn’t make it easy for ECU. The Pirates ultimately took the match in four sets of 25-21, 22-25, 25-21 and 26-24.
Georgia State fell to 4-7 on the 2016 season after snapping a five-match losing streak the previous evening against SC State. Seniors Eliza Zachary and Katelyn Rawls were named to the GSU Invitational All-Tournament Team.
The Panthers used a balanced attack featuring seniors Kristina Stinson and Eliza Zachary. The two combined for 27 kills and Crystal Lee added 10 kills of her own to supplement the attack. Jocelyn Mahayag, Anna Rantala and Celeste Friesen led the way defensively with 15, 14 and 10 digs respectively. Sophomore setter Sarah Renner was pivotal in running the attack with 42 assists.
Sydney Darden and Lael Ceriani led the Pirates’ attack with 25 total kills. Ashton Marez was crucial to the Pirate offense totaling 46 assists in the match.
GSU responded nicely after dropping the first frame. Zachary’s nine kills proved crucial in the second set and tied the match at 1-1.
The Panthers had their opportunities in the final two frames to extend the match, but in the end ECU pulled away. GSU came back from 23-17 down in the final frame to tie the score at 24 thanks in large part to Rawls’ stellar attacking play. However, an I’tiana Taylor kill and a Panther attacking error gave ECU the match in four.
After defeating SCSU and making things tough for ECU, Georgia State will look to capitalize on its momentum as the team enters Sun Belt play. The Panthers return to action on Sept. 23 as they travel to UL Lafayette.
Trojans Go Down in Straight Sets to SFA
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Little Rock volleyball (4-9) lost in straight sets (21-25, 18-25, 11-15) at Stephen F. Austin (8-5) to close out the Holiday Inn Express SFA Volleyball Invitational on Saturday afternoon at Shelton Gym.
Edina Selimovic was named to the All-Tournament Team for her performance throughout the tournament. Selimovic tallied 10 kills, an ace and one block in the finale against the Lumberjacks. For the entire tournament, she recorded 37 kills (3.08 per set), a .292 hitting percentage, six aces and 16 total blocks.
Carolee Dillard led the match with 12 kills and a .524 hitting percentage while also tallying a block. Taylor Lindberg earned her third career double-double with 27 assists and 12 digs. Kelsey Leech had a match-high 19 digs for the Trojans.
Little Rock started the opening set down 7-2 before rallying back to tie the frame at 8-8. The Trojans and Lumberjacks stayed within two points of each other until the Jacks went on a 3-1 run to end the frame.
SFA was in complete control of the second set as the Lumberjacks held at least a five-point lead from 13-8 onward. SFA got out to its largest lead of the set at 24-15 before the Trojans scored three straight to cut the lead to six. A final SFA kill gave the Lumberjacks the set and a 2-0 lead for the match.
It didn't get any better for the Trojans in the third set as the Lumberjacks got out to a 16-point lead at 23-7. The Trojans were able to make it to double-digits with 11 points, but that would be all as SFA took the match with a 25-11 win.
With non-conference matches out of the way, Little Rock will now turn its attention to Sun Belt Conference action as the Trojans travel to Coastal Carolina for the conference opener on Friday.