CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Central Arkansas volleyball finished out the non-conference schedule as they dropped the final match of the Redhawks Invitational 3-0.

The Sugar Bears could not rally when they were down as they fell in three straight sets to the hometown Southeast Missouri State squad. While the team could never find their rhythm enough to overcome the Redhawks, numerous athletes had that rhythm flowing. Senior Lexi Miller was one of them as she posted ten kills on a .292 hitting percentage. Along with her success day, she was awarded for her overall efforts as she was put on the Redhawks Invitational All-Tournament Team. Another Sugar Bear with a massive day was junior Anna Williams. Williams posted 29 assists, four digs, and three kills on a .400 day. 

Set 1:
The Sugar Bears fell behind as early as you could as they got behind to begin the set 6-0. Even as UCA crawled back in the middle stages with three straight points, that early deficit proved fatal. The deficit continued to hind the Sugar Bears rally as they failed to match the hot-hitting Redhawks. For the set, SEMO hit .394 to UCA's .147, which led to the Redhawks 25-13 set victory.

Set 2:
The second set was different and similar simultaneously as UCA slowed the Redhawks to make it a hard-fought set in the beginning. Both teams saw opportunities as both sides secured multiple runs. It was close as UCA trailed 10-8 after Williams and freshman Jamiryana Hall kills. However, that scoring gap quickly opened as the Redhawks went on a 15-4 run to finish out the set 25-12. 

Set 3:
The trend of success continued for SEMO as they were able to keep away the Sugar Bears. However, UCA fought hard in this set but could never overcome the difference of four points. That was the big number throughout the set as UCA continuously trailed by that number. That was until the Redhawks went on another match-defining run that ended the Sugar Bears day with a 25-18 set finish. 

Up next the Sugar Bears will compete in the ASUN Crossover as they start with North Florida at 3 p.m. Sept 24th in Jacksonville, Ala. 

Quote from head coach John Newberry:
"We knew this game was gonna be the toughest we've had for the nonconference season. SEMO is the most well put together team we have faced. We really struggled in the passing. Other than that, I thought our team managed the game very well. We challenged some of the girls on some specific tasks and they got better. I thought Anna WIlliams played well throughout the whole game and made some very smart decisions. Jamiryana Hall and Lexi Miller both made some great kills. Lexie Gregory played a much better game today. We are looking forward to now starting our conference season in the ASUN."