CONWAY, Ark. – Central Arkansas volleyball continued its run of dominance with a win over Stetson in five sets on Sunday afternoon. The win marks six straight ASUN conference wins and seven straight overall.
UCA would take the early set advantage by overcoming a slight deficit early in the opening set. Unlike Friday, Central Arkansas's opening serve was sent into the net, putting them in the hole early. The Sugar Bears would climb out of a 7-4 deficit, and soon find themselves up 10-8. Before you could blink, a Kendall Haywood kill made it 16-9, and the Sugar Bears sat firmly in the driver's seat. UCA would have to defend a late 4-0 run from the Hatters before taking the opening set by a score of 25-19.
The energy from the first set seemed to disappear in the second frame, as Stetson grabbed an 8-5 advantage early and then continued to roll. The Sugar Bears found themselves down only 12-10, but then Stetson quickly rattled off seven of the next nine points, which put them squarely ahead of the Sugar Bears at 19-12. Stetson fended off a short rally attempt from UCA and took the second set 25-16.
In the third set, the Sugar Bears capitalized on a 5-0 run when the game was at a 10-10 deadlock. Later, the Hatters scored three in a row to tie it at 17, but UCA promptly used a 3-0 run of their own to grab the lead again, and then another 3-0 run to take the third set, thanks to an ace by Lexie Gregory. The Sugar Bears seemingly had taken back the momentum, taking the third set 25-20.
Like Friday, UCA failed to close out the match as early as it could have. The Sugar Bears were rolling and on top 21-14 and seemed to be on the precipice of taking their sixth straight match in ASUN play. The Hatters weren't having any of it though, as they scored seven of the next eight points to tighten up the game a little beyond the Sugar Bears' comfort. The two squads would go back-and-forth for a bit before Stetson ultimately took the fourth set 27-25 to force a deciding fifth set.
The Sugar Bears received a spark from some subs in the fifth set. UCA got clutch points in the form of an Anna Myers' service ace and a Charlie Tidwell kill in the midst of a 6-0 run to make it 11-4 and put UCA firmly in control. Stetson would creep back in it with runs of four straight and three straight, but the Sugar Bears overcame it, and when the ball was launched into the floor off the right arm of Jamiryana Hall, the Sugar Bears emerged victorious.
Hall had another incredible showing on Sunday, as she finished with 19 kills, one short of the career high that she set on Friday. Mackenzie Vernon continued to be a consistent force for the Sugar Bears, as she put up 17 points to go along with three blocks. Alexis McDaniel built off of her great performances last week and totaled 27 digs and two aces. Caylan Koons is another one of the Sugar Bears' most consistent players, as she put up 46 assists, 12 digs, and two aces.
Central Arkansas will be back in action on Friday, October 21st when they take on Lipscomb in Nashville, Tenn., at 6:00 p.m. CT. You can follow along with every match this season on Twitter at @ucavball.
