SAN ANTONIO -- It was truly a tale of two halves on Thursday night as the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears erased an early 2-0 deficit and defeated the Incarnate Word Cardinals (4-13, 0-3 SLC) 3-2 at the McDermott Center. The Sugar Bears (7-9, 1-2 SLC) snapped a three-game losing streak with the win and improved to 5-3 in matches decided by five sets.
 
Sophomore Madi Bowles led the Sugar Bears comeback effort with a season-high 23 kills while sophomore Lexi Miller added 16. Junior Bailey Waddington led in the assists department with 28 while three Sugar Bears contributed defensively with 10+ digs.
 
SET ONE – The Cardinals jumped out to an early 6-0 advantage in set one and never looked back. The Sugar Bears made things interesting midway through after a 4-0 spurt made it 15-14, but Incarnate Word responded with a 3-0 run to lead 18-14. Central Arkansas continued to fight toward the end as a Bowles kill made it 23-22, but a Cardinal kill and Sugar Bear attack error awarded Incarnate Word the 25-22 win.
 
SET TWO – The first 12 points were tightly contested for as the score sat at 6-all. The Cardinals created the first separation of the set after a 7-2 spurt gave them the 13-8 advantage. Central Arkansas wasted no time with its response as the visiting team crafted a 7-2 run of their own to tie it at 15-15. After a Cardinal set error tied it at 17-all, Incarnate Word took hold of the set with a 5-1 run to hold the strong 22-18 lead. The Sugar Bears attempted to hold on after a Bowles kill made it 24-21, but a service error on the next play improved the Cardinals match lead to 2-0.
 
SET THREE – The match saw a shift in set three as the Sugar Bears rode a pair of kills from Bowles to help grab an early 5-0 lead. Central Arkansas continued to lead comfortably until a 4-0 Cardinal spurt tied it at 12-all. The Sugar Bears quickly regained their lead as kills from Miller and Bowles and a pair of Cardinal errors made it 16-12. The Central Arkansas lead ballooned to five a few points later as a kill from Junior Amari Mitchell and Incarnate Word attack error made it 22-17. The Cardinals would pull within three after a Sugar Bear attack error made it 24-21, but a kill from senior Abbie Harry solidified the set three win for the team in purple. Harry contributed 10 kills on the night.
 
SET FOUR – The Sugar Bears broke an early 3-3 tie in the fourth set with a quick 4-0 spurt to grab the early 7-3 advantage. Central Arkansas would not be challenged by Incarnate Word the rest of the way as the Sugar Bears cruised to a dominant 25-13 win. The Sugar Bears rode the arms of Miller and Bowles in the set as they contributed five and three kills.
 
SET FIVE – The final set was back and forth through point eight as four ties were recorded early on. The Cardinals took the first separation as a kill and Sugar Bear attack error gave them the 6-4 lead. The home team continued to lead over the next seven points as a service ace and kill made it 9-7 Cardinals. The Sugar Bears sucked the air out of the gym a few points later as they got two Incarnate Word errors and a Harry kill to grab the late 12-11 advantage. The Cardinals quickly responded with a kill to tie it at 12-all, but Mitchell came in clutch for Central Arkansas as she delivered a kill and service ace to reward her team the strong 14-12 lead. Incarnate Word converted a kill on the next point to stay alive, but kill No. 16 from Miller solidified the comeback win for the Sugar Bears.

ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH JOHN NEWBERRY ON THE WIN

"It always feels great to get a win. UIW is much improved from last year and were very tough. We started the match very slow and lacked a sense of urgency. Our confidence started to shine through after the second set. All our attackers stepped up and started putting the ball down in the right spots. I thought our passing was better than it has been in recent games too. It helped set the tone to get our hitting percentage higher.

Madi Bowles was a monster tonight and even had her first service ace. Her consistency was a big reason for today's success."

UP NEXT
 
The Sugar Bears will look to carry their positive energy to Corpus Christi, Texas next as they will face the Islanders on Saturday at 1 p.m.