CONWAY, Ark. – Central Arkansas Volleyball celebrated Halloween on Sunday afternoon by coming back from the dead against the North Alabama Lions. UNA led two set to none, and the Sugar Bears stole a win to improve its record to 9-3 in the ASUN and 7-1 at home this season. Perhaps most importantly, UCA clinched a place in the ASUN conference tournament.
In the first set, the Sugar Bears had a good opportunity to jump out in front. UCA led 13-11 midway through the opening set but allowed North Alabama to go on a serious run. At a 15-15 stalemate, UNA scored four in a row to make it 19-15. The Lions would not take their foot off the gas, and UNA cruised to a first set victory, 25-20.
The second set had a grim outlook from the jump for the Sugar Bears, as UNA scored the first three points of the set, putting UCA in an early hole. The Sugar Bears didn't panic, and even got a late lead at 19-16, forcing a North Alabama timeout. Out of the timeout, UNA rallied to put up seven unanswered and put the Sugar Bears on the ropes at 23-19. The Lions finished off UCA 25-21 and put UCA in grave danger of going down in three sets.
In the third set, it was the Sugar Bears that came out fast and furious, as they got the first four points on the board and were playing with more energy than the prior two sets. Charlie Tidwell checked into the game and picked up where she left off from the last time these two squads played, as she got a kill and provided a spark for the UCA offense. With a 15-11 lead, the Sugar Bears scored 10 of the last 12 points, capped off with an ace from Alexis Stumbough, to win the third set 25-13, and seize a little momentum back.
The fourth set began as a nail biter. Early on, the Lions scored six straight to take a 9-7 lead, and it was evident that North Alabama was not going to let UCA back into this match without a fight. The Sugar Bears made their move with a 16-13 lead, scoring eight of the next 10, and this time it was the Sugar Bears putting the Lions on the ropes. It only made sense for Tidwell to end the set with a kill, sealing the fourth frame 25-17, as she's performed extremely well against North Alabama in both matchups this year.
The stakes were high in the decisive fifth set, and the stage was set for Mackenzie Vernon to once again go off. She played a massive role all match long and was a key piece to the 4-0 run to set up a 14-10 Sugar Bear advantage. When push came to shove, Vernon got a kill that sent the Sugar Bears into a frenzy, and sealed the match with a 15-11 victory in the fifth set.
The sophomore Vernon set her career high in kills Sunday afternoon with 22. Caylan Koons finished with 40 assists, 15 digs, and three service aces. Alexis Stumbough once again eclipsed 10 kills and added on 24 digs in the winning effort.
Central Arkansas will take on Queens at the Prince Center on Friday, November 4th at 6:00 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and as always, you can keep up with the match on Twitter at @ucavball.
