Conway – The Central Arkansas Sugar Bears returned to action at the Prince Center on Thursday night, looking to avenge their first loss in 24 days. Central Arkansas did just that, hitting .422 and picking up their 10
th sweep of the season, 25-14, 25-19, 25-20 over the Nicholls Colonels.
Central Arkansas (17-5, 7-2 SLC) exploded out of the gates, building a 14-8 lead, which they extended to 18-10 thanks to back-to-back kills from
Kellen Dunn. Nicholls would cut the UCA lead to 19-13, before a 6-1 run, capped by a kill from
Savanah Allen, ended the first set. Central Arkansas hit .425 in the set, getting four kills each from Dunn, Allen, and
Samantha Anderson.
Where the first set saw just two ties and two lead changes, the second was a different affair, as the Sugar Bears and Colonels played to 11 ties and traded the lead three times. The sides would play to a 14-14 tie before a 5-1 run saw Central Arkansas take control of the set. Nicholls would pull to within a point at 20-19, but UCA would take the final five points to take a 2-0 lead in the match. Dunn added five kills to her tally, while Anderson and
Haley Tippett each chipped in with four as
Bailey Waddington handed out 14 assists.
The third set followed the pattern established in the second, with Nicholls grabbing a 3-1 lead. The Sugar Bears would tie the score nine times before finally gaining control of the set, using a 6-0 run that featured two kills each from Allen and Dunn to take a 20-16 lead. Nicholls cut the lead to three on three different occasions, but a kill from Tippett ended the match. Tippett and Dunn each had six kills in the set.
On the night, Dunn hit .583 with a match-high 15 kills, and Tippett added 10 kills and nine digs. Allen also contributed on both sides, knocking down eight kills while also tallying a match-high three blocks. Waddington finished the match with 36 assists, while
Emily Doss dug a match-high 11 attacks and
Rayna Jefferis had nine digs.
Central Arkansas closes out a three-match home stand on Saturday at noon, welcoming the New Orleans Privateers to the Prince Center.
