Natchitoches, LA – The Central Arkansas Sugar Bears faced a daunting task in the Southland Conference Tournament quarterfinals as they had a date with the Northwestern State Lady Demons on their home court on Friday night. The Sugar Bears would leave the home crowd stunned as they erased an 0-2 deficit and won 3-2 in an instant classic. Kellen Dunn recorded a season and game-high 21 kills, second most of her career. Head coach Jeni Jones Chatman said that Dunn's performance sparked the comeback.
 
"Dunn was consistent from the first point of the match and stayed that way. Once our team finally relaxed a little bit, they were able to jump on her back and get themselves going," Chatman said. "It was a gut check match for us. We knew they were fighting to stay alive and had an incredible home crowd, but we found a way."
 
 
Haley Tippett notched a double-double with 18 kills and 12 digs while Samantha Anderson added 17 kills. Savanah Allen finished with 11 kills and an impressive .364 hitting percentage. Rayna Jefferis and Emily Doss made big impacts on the defensive end with 17 and 16 digs.
 
The Lady Demons came out on fire as they finished the first set with a .483 hitting percentage and never trailed the Sugar Bears. They jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead after two Central Arkansas attack errors and a pair of kills. After an Allen kill made it 8-7 Lady Demons, Northwestern State went on an 8-3 run to advance their lead to 16-10. Hannah Brister sparked the run as she recorded four kills and had eight in the first set alone. The Sugar Bears pulled within two late in the set after a Lady Demons service error made it 21-19, but a closing 4-1 Northwestern State run gave them the 25-20 win.
 
The Sugar Bears looked to be back on track in the second set with an early 6-3 lead, but the Lady Demons quickly erased the deficit with a 6-0 run to make it 9-6. Central Arkansas regained the lead after Allen led a 7-3 run that made it 13-12. Northwestern State regained the lead for good as they went on a 5-0 run to put them up three late in the set. After an Anderson kill pulled Central Arkansas within two at 17-19, Northwestern State finished on a 6-2 run that was capped off by back-to-back kills to put them up 2-0 with a 25-19 win.
 
Dunn helped the Sugar Bears jump out to an early 4-1 lead in the third with two kills, but the Lady Demons had another answer as they went on a 6-0 run and took a 7-4 lead. Their lead continued into the middle of the set as they were ahead 12-8, but the momentum shifted as the Sugar Bears went on a 6-1 run to regain the 14-13 lead. The Lady Demons would tie the set at 16-16, but a crucial 4-0 Sugar Bears run made it 20-16 and Central Arkansas never turned back. Dunn finished the set with eight kills and Central Arkansas took the third set 25-19.
 
The first 20 points of the fourth set saw seven ties as both teams battled early. After a Lady Demon service error made it 10-10, it was all Central Arkansas as they went on an 11-2 run to give themselves a comfortable 21-12 lead that silenced the crowd. Allen converted the Sugar Bears' 18^th kill of the set for the winning point as they cruised to a 25-15 victory to force the fifth set.
 
The fifth set was a nail-biter as there were seven ties within the first 22 points. The Sugar Bears finally created some separation late as two big kills from Anderson and Tippett helped give them the 14-11 lead. Brister tried to keep the Lady Demons alive as she recorded her 19^th kill of the day to make it 14-12, but Tippett put the finishing touches on the improbable comeback as she landed her 18^th kill and the Sugar Bears won 15-12.
 
The Sugar Bears will take on the third-seeded Sam Houston State Bearkats in the semifinals tomorrow at 2:30 p.m.