JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Central Arkansas volleyball showcased how dangerous they could be in the ASUN as their first win in the conference was a sweep on Kennesaw State. 

The Sugar Bears (3-8, ASUN 1-1) held nothing back as they powered through the Owls (7-6, ASUN 1-1) in a sweep that was anything but easy. UCA's biggest highlight of the evening came in the third set when the Sugar Bears outscored KSU 11-4, as they went on a 9-0 run to overcome the Owls lead and finish the match in three sets. While these crucial plays led to the sweep, the all-around effort in all three sets made the Sugar Bears so dominant. They held the Owls to a hitting percentage of .097, as graduate student Amari Mitchell and sophomore Libero Lexie Gregory led that defensive charge. In the match, Mitchell claimed seven assisted blocks, and Gregory led the squad with 14 digs. 

Set 1:
The Sugar Bears continued their roll as UCA dominated in the first set. KSU had no answer for the defensive prowess of the Sugar Bears as they held the Owls to a .094 hitting percentage while also promoting the offense to a .300 percentage. That stout defensive effort was powered by sophomore Libero Lexie Gregory and sophomore setter Anna Myers. The two combined for nine digs as the rest of the team hosted three. These factors were shown throughout the set as the Owls never lead through the set. The closest they got was when it was 6-4, but a little later, the Sugar Bears pushed their lead even further as they went on a 9-4 run to make it 15-8. From there, the Sugar Bears continued on their streaky behavior and claimed the first set 25-19.

Set 2:
The second set UCA was similar to the first as they continued their success. However, what was different was the fact that the Sugar Bears had to overcome an initial lead by the Owls to win the second set. That is what happened as KSU held the lead late as the score was 17-14. Four errors from the Owls and a sophomore Alexis Stumbough kill turned the tides for the Sugar Bears as they took it over 19-17. From there, KSU continued to hurt themselves as five of the following six points were scored on errors, leading to a UCA 25-21 finish. 

Set 3:
The match couldn't end without some excitement, and the Sugar Bears continued to supply that mark. KSU's largest lead of the set was 21-13, and it seemed as if we were destined for the fourth set. An error by the Owls turned the tides as freshman Mackenzie Vernon took advantage with a kill and senior Lexi Miller did the same right after that. The Owls grabbed one more, and with the score at 22-16, it was time for the Sugar Bear takeover that was single-handily supplied by the serving ability of Freshman Lily Taylor. Taylor helped spark a 9-0 rally to finish the set as she posted an ace after a KSU service error. She would add one more ace, but her ability to find a good placement on the court helped produce three errors in the rally. The other points in the comeback were from the usual suspects, as Stumbough claimed two and Vernon had one for herself.

Up next, the Sugar Bears will finish out the ASUN Crossover at 11 a.m. tomorrow in Jacksonville, Ala., against Stetson. 

Quote from head coach John Newberry:
"I thought we had a great week of practices, and it was nice to see a lot of skills translate into gameplay. I thought Amari Mitchell did a great job being a presence at the net, but overall all our blockers improved today. I'm extremely proud of our team, they stayed composed and battled through some tough points and situations. Kennesaw State is an amazing team with great athletes, and whenever you can sweep a good program in your conference, it always boosts confidence and morale. Today was a great win for our program in our first season in the ASUN, but I'm more thrilled that it was truly a team win."