JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Central Arkansas volleyball earned a huge win at North Florida on Friday afternoon. The five set win lifts UCA to 3-2 in ASUN play, and marks three straight wins in conference play.
UCA got some momentum early thanks to two kills from last week's ASUN Player of the Week, Alexis Stumbough. Despite the early rhythm, North Florida was able to keep pace with the Sugar Bears' scoring runs all the way until the end. With a one point advantage, Mackenzie Vernon was set up by Caylan Koons for an assist that would put the Ospreys away in the first set, 25-23.
The second was a missed opportunity for the Sugar Bears. Down 10-6 early, the Sugar Bears rattled off five-straight points to take the lead. From there, UCA was able to battle it out with the Ospreys to eventually take a 21-19 advantage. UNF then set off a rally of their own, scoring six-straight points to ice the set, 25-21 and deal what could have been a devastating blow for the Sugar Bears.
The third set saw the Sugar Bears go down by five early, and UNF felt like it had UCA reeling. The Sugar Bears then unleashed their best run of the season, scoring 16 of the next 18 points, including 13 unanswered. This run not only put UNF against the wall, but it also included a very impressive feat. Caylan Koons aided the Sugar Bears with an insane four service aces during the run. Central Arkansas would later score three-straight to put UNF away in the third set, 25-15.
Central Arkansas had an opportunity to end things in the fourth set, but squandered a lead down the stretch. At an 11-11 tie, the Sugar Bears ripped off seven-straight to put themselves in prime position to finish off the Ospreys. Said Ospreys, down 23-16, set off a run of their own, as they scored eight in a row to take the lead 24-23. UNF eventually evened up the match, taking the fourth set 27-25.
In a game of runs, all that's important is having one in the biggest moments. This was the case for the Sugar Bears on Friday afternoon. With the Ospreys leading 9-8, UCA closed out the match with seven unanswered, capped with a Kendall Haywood kill.
Team wins have been a theme for the Sugar Bears as of late, and Friday afternoon marked their fourth win in a row overall. Caylan Koons continues to stack some great performances, as she tallied 42 assists and 6 aces and was pivotal in the win. Jamiryana Hall and Mackenzie Vernon were tied for the lead in kills for the match with 18 apiece, and once again both came up clutch for the Sugar Bears. Alexis Stumbough narrowly missed another double-double on the season, tallying 17 digs and nine kills.
Central Arkansas stays in Jacksonville to take on the Jacksonville Dolphins Saturday, October 8th at 4 p.m. While the Match will not be streamed, you can keep up with matches all year long on Twitter at @ucavball.
