NACOGDOCHES, Texas- The Sugar Bears drop the first two games of the season as they fell just short of two come from behind victories. 

UCA fought valiantly as they took on two championship programs in a doubleheader to start the season. The Sugar Bears came close to defying the odds as they forced a set five against Texas State, from the Sun Belt, and almost forced set five against Southland Champions Stephen F. Austin. 

TSU 3 UCA 2
In the five-set thriller, the Sugar Bears nearly amounted an astonishing come from behind victory after facing an early 2-0 deficit, but fell just short in the match's final moments. After falling behind early, the squad's experienced veterans carried the team to a nearly miraculous finish as almost all of the stat leaders were returning squad members. Senior Amanda Beaton showcased her ability to lead as she set career highs in kills (24) and digs (10). While Beaton put it down, senior Bailey Waddington served it up for her as she accumulated a team-high 50 assists. Senior Emily Doss joined these two in putting on a spectacle as she led the Sugar Bears with 21 digs, while junior Ravin Rhodes was a force down low with three blocks. 

Set 1:
UCA got the ball rolling early as they scored three straight points off of two errors and a kill from sophomore Alexis Stumbough. With a lead to begin the game's early goings, the Sugar Bears exchanged blows with the Bobcats until the score was knotted at 18 apiece. Before that point, the largest lead that either of the teams had was four points, but just like that, Texas State finished out the set on a 7-2 run. 

Set 2:
The set played similar to the first as both teams were gaining an advantage every other play. No team got an opportunity to pull away from the other, even in the set's closing moments. Unfortunately, the Sugar Bears couldn't bypass this back and forth style as the Bobcats took a 24-20 lead and finished it three plays later. 

Set 3:
From the second to the third, the Sugar Bears put their level of play into overdrive as they started to find their grove. Like before, both teams pushed it to the wire as they tied again near the end of the match as the score read 20-20. In a game full of ties, 41 to be exact, it always plays out that the one that makes one run is the winner and in the third set UCA did that. The Sugar Bears finished out the set on a 5-2 run with everyone getting in on the action. Beaton, junior Madi Bowles and senior Amari Mitchell all provided a kill in the final rallies to keep the Sugar Bears alive for another set. 

Set 4:
With confidence from the 3rd set, UCA could cause mistakes from the opponents and take advantage of them. That is precisely what they did when the score was tied seven all. The Sugar Bears keyed off on five errors from the Bobcats to propel them to a 10-3 run. With a fair amount of leeway, UCA could battle out the rest of the set with ease allowing them to force a set five. 

Set 5:
Added confidence from coming back, down 0-2, the Sugar Bears were ready for a fight from Texas State, and they got just that. The Bobcats had an answer for every point, and so did UCA; in total, there were 10 ties and four lead changes in the shortest of the sets. The Sugar Bears were the first to reach that magical number of 15, but Texas State was right there with them. In the constant back and forth, the Bobcats were able to rally in the most crucial part and cement their victory 18-16.

SFA 3 UCA 1
The second game wasn't as forgiving as the first as UCA fell behind in the early goings again, but couldn't fight their way out of the hole. Against the top team in the Southland Conference, the Sugar Bears could not find their rhythm as their offense fell flat in the first two sets. Just as they did before, they drew hidden momentum out and grabbed the third set, but they were unable to make it out of the fourth set this time. Beaton made the game's difference once again as she led the Sugar Bears in both kills (11) and aces (2). Sophomore Alexis Stumbough showcased her ability to battle as she led the team with 11 digs. 

Set 1: 
Stephen F. Austin made sure people knew that they were the Southland Conference's defending champs from the get-go as they pushed to a 5-0 lead. However, UCA wasn't giving up that easily as it seemed simple for them to tie the game at five apiece. Both teams gave little wiggly room for mistakes until it was 11-10 in favor of the Ladyjacks. At that point, SFA went on a massive 13-2 run to finish off the set.

Set 2:
The second set was much of the same as the momentum from set one didn't allow UCA to make up an inch of ground. The Sugar Bears had an opportunity when the score was 13-10 in SFA's favor, but just like before, Ladyjacks went on a big run to put it out of reach. A 5-0 run made it 18-10, but there were no opportunities to pass them in the second's final stretches. 

Set 3: 
The Sugar Bears felt more ferocious and versatile from when they stepped on the court for the third set. The defining moment of the third was when SFA led 7-4 because that is when junior Lexi Miller started to add so more torque on her touches as she three kills in a row and finished the 5-1 run with four of the five points. Miller would finish with five of her nine kills coming in the third set. From that moment on, UCA brought so much momentum it was tough to stop their offense. They finished the set a little bit after and finished it with a .353% attack rate, which was the highest in any set for either team. 

Set 4: 
This set proved challenging for the Sugar Bears as they were unable to continue their ridiculously hot offense. They started the set strong with a quick 4-1 lead, but just like before; a big run ended up diminishing their chances. With UCA up 10-8, SFA went on an 11-3 run that put the score to 19-13. This gap was too much to muster, as the Sugar Bears ended up falling 25-17, and ending the match in four sets.

Quotes from Head Coach John Newberry:
"First off, thank you to SFA for hosting us and making it possible for fans and players to safely play at this time. It has taken tireless work and hours of preparation to make these games happen this year from many people.
 
There were a lot of times where we had to figure things out as we went. Everyone got their temperature checked before getting onto the bus, before entering into the gym, and again at the end of the day before heading home. There were no coin tosses, high-fives or handshakes between teams and coaches. And no one was allowed to hug or talk to their families inside of the gym. With all of these new and weird protocols that we are not used to yet, I'm so proud of the team today. Being able to play as the first game for all of the NCAA is an honor.
 
Our match versus Texas State was one that I'll remember for a very long time. After being down two sets, we made a couple of adjustments and were able to gain heavy momentum for the next two sets. At the end of set five, we had game point twice and we were in two rotations that have caused us trouble throughout the match. We didn't capitalize on a couple of chaotic moments like we have been doing in practice and that mattered at the very end. Amanda Beaton and Lexi Miller both had incredible matches today. They both seemed to be unstoppable throughout most of all five sets. Texas State had several big-time attackers and I thought our defense was able to finally make some changes and come up with some high-level plays.
 
After the match, we had a brief team meeting and had about an hour to prepare for the next match to get ready for warm-up.
 
We had a slow start versus SFA, it definitely looked like our fatigue level set in early from the previous match. Madi Bowles really stepped up in the third and fourth sets. We definitely look forward to getting back in the gym on Monday to get ready for our match versus Little Rock."

Next Up:
UCA will host their first couple of home games next weekend (9/11 and 9/12) as Little Rock is set to face the Sugar Bears 6 p.m. on Friday, and Arkansas State is following at 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Farris Center.