LAKEWOOD, La.: After losing two straight, the University of Central Arkansas volleyball program is back on track as they bested McNeese in four sets.
The mixture of offensive prowess in the first set and defensive presence in the rest pushed the Sugar Bears to a four-set victory. UCA had more than a few contributors tonight as everyone got in on the action in the victory. On the defensive side, blocking was key as freshmen Charlie Tidwell and Macy Blackburn recorded seven assisted blocks and gained a few solo blocks. On the offensive side, the Sugar Bears youth continued to come in the clutch as sophomore Alexis Stumbough led all UCA hitters with 15 kills.
UCA 3 McNeese 1
Set 1:
UCA could not have had a better set from the offensive side as they produced a .310 hitting percentage on 29 total attacks. The majority of those successful attacks happened at the later point of the set. After tying the lead at 12 apiece, UCA used three straight service aces from Stumbough to gain momentum to claim the set. The Sugar Bears outscored the Cowgirls 10-2 once the score was tied and pushed the lead to 21-14. McNeese used a little run of their own but couldn't overcome the massive deficit, and eventually, UCA won the first set 25-20.
Set 2:
The second set was the beginning of the defensive battle as both teams produced a lot of back and forth action. McNeese took advantage of a few mistakes in the early goings and lead 8-4 right out of the gate. However, the Sugar Bears followed suit and did the same to take the lead right back at 11-9. Those mistakes plagued the Cowgirls as they fell behind before eventually producing five straight points to take it 19-18. The Sugar Bears were ready and tied it one possession later as senior Amanda Beaton posted a kill on the scoreboard. That would be enough to raddle McNeese as they gave up four straight points on errors and eventually gave the set to UCA 25-20.
Set 3:
The third set proposed multiple issues for the Sugar Bears as they had a hard time battling in the early goings. McNeese was not ready for the knockout just yet as they soared to a quick 13-5 lead. UCA would eventually catch up with the streaking Cowgirls when they tied it at 17, but that would be it as another sharp rally gave it to McNeese as they ultimately won it 25-23.
Set 4:
The final set of the evening was something special as defense played a massive role. Going into the fourth set, there had been 206 attacks, but in the fourth set, both teams produced over 50 attacks and combined for 113 of the total 319. That factor led to long rallies and consistent back and forth action, with no team grabbing a commanding edge. However, the story of this set eyes the end of it as the big moment for the Sugar Bears. After McNeese went on a run to push their lead to 24-20, they began thinking about how they would play the fifth set. However, UCA had other plans as they eventually took over the lead to make it 25-24. From that point on, it was all extra time, and no one could gain two points in a row until the 31st point. After a Tidwell kill, the Sugar Bears had reached the 30th plateau and was ready for the set and match to be finished. That is precisely what happened as a McNeese error allowed the Sugar Bears to claim the set 31-29 and the match 3-1.
Up next, UCA comes home as they will play New Orleans at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Farris Center.
Quote from coach John Newberry:
"This was a disciplined win for the team. We had a strict game plan that worked when we stayed disciplined. I'm really proud of our middles. Ravin Rhodes and Macy were a huge part of the success. I'm really proud of Charlie Tidwell. She was a monster on blocking and had clutch kills when we needed it. She was very dependable."
"Lexi Stumbough had a great week in practice and carried it over to the game. She was great at the service line and played well in all 6 rotations. Ultimately, we were resilient in the last part of the 4th set. This is great momentum to carry us through our next game."
