CONWAY, Ark.: The University of Central Arkansas (7-5, SLC 5-2) dominated as they picked up their first three-game win streak of the 2021 season.
It only took three to best Lamar (1-9, SLC 1-4) as the Sugar Bears commanded the game through the middle. Senior middle blocker Amari Mitchell posted a season-high with a hitting percentage of .583 as she controlled the court with eight kills and only one error. Alongside Mitchell was junior middle blocker Ravin Rhodes. Rhodes grabbed four assisted blocks and two solos as UCA posted eight as a team.
Set 1:
Like the last match, the Sugar Bears got in a groove early as they came out with five straight points to start the evening. This quick rally ensured that UCA would not fall behind at any point of this set. During this first set, the Cardinals' closest chance is when they dwindled the lead to two at 12-10. However, the Sugar Bears had other ideas as freshman Charlie Tidwell started a rally to stun the Cardinals. Four points later, the lead was extended to six, with no real shot of it coming as close to two again. A few short rallies later, UCA was well on their way to a big victory to set the tone as they won it 25-14.
Set 2:
The onslaught continued over to the second set as the Sugar Bears pushed it to 7-2 in the early goings. That was only the beginning, as the rally proved even more lethal. Sophomore Alexis Stumbough and junior Madi Bowles made sure that would happen as they provided kills in another short rally. After it was all said and done, the Sugar Bears held a dominant 13-5 lead. This gap was not a surprise as UCA posted their best hitting percentage in the match's second set. The Sugar Bears only produced three errors in their 29 attacks as they accumulated a stellar .379 hitting percentage. So after it was all done, UCA found all of their spots and hit them as they won the set 25-13.
Set 3:
The third set had a different tone than all of the other ones. UCA came out intentionally more relaxed and less aggressive, and that allowed Lamar their opportunity. The Cardinals gained their first lead of the night, and it was a good chunk as they took it 10-4 right out of the gate. The rest of the match was mainly UCA playing the part of the comeback kids, especially after falling behind 19-14. As the Sugar Bears gained ground, the Cardinals would edge closer as UCA kept making divets on 3-1 runs. It wasn't long until Lamar got to their match point, and UCA still trailed 24-22. Two kills from senior Amanda Beaton and Rhodes later, the back and forth started. Lamar went up 26-25, but momentum was slowly drawing towards the Sugar Bears, and when UCA took advantage and got the lead 27-26, the Cardinals had to take a timeout. However, they were just delaying the enviable as Bowles finished it with a spike right in the corner of the floor.
Up next, the Sugar Bears will face off against Houston Baptist as they head to Houston next Saturday for a first serve at noon.
Quote from coach John Newberry:
"Really proud of our team's first three-game win streak of this 2021 season. We had a really good balance in our offense, being able to set anyone at the net and everybody performed very well. Really proud of both of our middles; Amari Mitchell definitely brought it this match, hitting .583 with eight kills. That is outstanding for a middle, and it gives us great confidence to be able to continue this aggression for the rest of our season.
