CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Central Arkansas got back on a winning track on Saturday afternoon with a win over Austin Peay in four sets. The win lifts UCA to a 7-3 ASUN record, with a 15-8 overall slate.
The first set got off to an odd start, as an illegal substitution from UCA caused around a 10-minute delay. Later, another delay really caused UCA to really look out of sync. It was all Govs in the opening set, leading 18-7 at one point, and would eventually get the early advantage, winning the first set 25-15. While the Sugar Bears looked lost at times in the first, junior Charlie Tidwell had her best set of the year, as she got five kills in the first.
Central Arkansas regrouped in a big way before the second set. The team bowed up and met Austin Peay where they were, building its biggest lead of the match to that point at 17-14. Austin Peay would, of course, not go away easily. The Governors would battle back and take a 23-19 lead late in the second, but the Sugar Bears scored seven of the last eight points to ice the second set by a score of 26-24, and even things up things at one set apiece.
Saturday afternoon proved to be a weird afternoon for both squads, and that would be the case for the Sugar Bears in the third set. There was another delay as Kendall Haywood lost her contact and then went off with two blocks in the middle of the set. Later in the set, with the Sugar Bears leading 17-15, Central Arkansas rattled off seven-straight to put Austin Peay on the ropes. The Sugar Bears cashed in a Jamiryana Hall kill to take the third set and a 2-1 set advantage, 25-18.
Many times this year, Central Arkansas had its opponents against the wall and let them back into the game; this was not the case on Saturday. UCA powered up a few runs in the fourth set to put away Austin Peay. The biggest run in the final set was a 5-0 run to give the Sugar Bears an 18-17 lead. Tidwell got two more clutch kills down the stretch to help seal things on the road by a score of 25-21.
Tidwell had her best performance of the year, tallying 15 kills, one shy of her career-high. Hall quietly pitched in 11 kills for the Sugar Bears. Caylan Koons once again had a good match, with 40 assists and seven digs, solidifying the Central Arkansas offensive attack. Alexis McDaniel tallied 15 digs and three aces.
Central Arkansas hits the road to take on North Alabama on Wednesday, October 26th at 6 p.m. Fans can follow along with the Sugar Bears all season long on Twitter at @ucavball.
