MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Central Arkansas Sugar Bears continued play in the K-State Invitational Friday night as they fell to the Clemson Tigers 3-0 in three back-and-forth sets at the Bramlage Coliseum. The Sugar Bears (4-2) found themselves in it at the end of each set, but the Tigers handled business and shut the door each time. Clemson finished the match with 50 kills on only 13 errors, recording a fine .339 hitting percentage. Sophomore Madi Bowles led the attack for Central Arkansas with a season-high 19 kills while junior Abbie Harry added 10. Junior Emily Doss led the way defensively for the Sugar Bears with a game-high 18 digs.
 
SET 1 -- The first set started tight as four ties were recorded within the first 12 points. After a Tigers kill gave them a 12-10 lead, the Sugar Bears responded with a mini 2-0 run off a Bowles kill and Clemson service error. Clemson would regain the lead right after and hold firm until Central Arkansas began to threaten on point 39. Back-to-back Bowles kills sparked a 3-0 run that pulled her team within one at 21-20. After a 2-0 response from the Tigers, the Sugar Bears continued to ride Bowles' strong arm as she delivered three straight kills to tie it at 23-all. The late surge would not be enough though as Clemson came out of a timeout and got a kill and Central Arkansas service error to take set one 25-23. Bowles finished with a set-high 9 kills.
 
SET 2 -- Bowles did not slow down in the second set as she converted three more kills that helped ignite an early 6-2 lead. The Sugar Bears would pull away even further later on as Harry and junior Elizabeth Armstrong gifted back-to-back kills to make it 18-14. The gifts did not stop though as Clemson received three straight Central Arkansas errors to pull within one and later tied it at 20-20 off a kill. The Tigers appeared to win the set after two straight points gave them a 24-23 lead, but kills from Harry and freshman Alexis Stumbough flipped the score and made it 25-24 Central Arkansas. Clemson stayed poised though as redshirt-junior Brooke Bailey delivered a kill that tied it at 25. Central Arkansas would have one more chance to win after a Clemson error made it 26-25, but three straight Sugar Bear errors doomed them as the Tigers won 28-26.
 
SET 3 – Central Arkansas jumped out to an early 6-2 lead for the second time after back-to-back kills from freshman Kailee Moon and redshirt-sophomore Ravin Rhodes jumpstarted the set. The lead ballooned to six a few points later after a Bowles kill and service ace from junior Bailey Waddington made it 13-7. Clemson stayed unrattled and shifted the tide with an 11-4 run that gave them the 18-17 lead. After Bowles delivered kill No. 19 to tie it, Clemson responded with yet another run and took the next four to lead 22-18. Trailing 23-19, the Sugar Bears attempted to stay alive with a 4-1 run sparked by two Miller kills, but Clemson clinched the match after a Central Arkansas attack error made it 25-23.
 
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The Sugar Bears will wrap up tournament play tomorrow night as they will face host Kansas State Wildcats at 5 p.m.