KENNESAW, Ga. – The Central Arkansas Sugar Bears dropped their final regular season matchup against the Kennesaw State Owls on Sunday afternoon. The five-set loss drops UCA to 19-10 overall and 11-5 in the ASUN conference.
The first set got away from the Sugar Bears a little bit. UCA hung in tight early, tying the set at five. The Owls got their biggest advantage in the middle of the set, leading 15-9. UCA would battle back to make it close down the stretch, but Kennesaw State had already stretched the lead too far. The Owls ultimately took the opening set, 25-20.
UCA rebounded nicely in set two, getting off to an 8-3 start off a 5-0 run. Kennesaw State would later go on a 7-0 run to take the lead at 12-11. UCA was unphased and ran with the Owls. Neither team was able to separate, until a kill by Mackenzie Vernon stretched UCA's lead to 24-21. After a point by Kennesaw State, UCA iced it with a kill by Jamiryana Hall to even things up at a set apiece, taking the second set 25-22.
Much like the set prior, the third set was tight, and neither team could seem to separate early. A kill by Macy Blackburn made it 14 all in the middle of the match. After that, the Owls went on one of the few runs of the set, using four straight to take an 18-14 lead. While the Sugar Bears weren't out of it, they never were able to take the lead again in the set, and Kennesaw State took the 2-1 set lead by winning the third set by a score of 25-20.
UCA has done a great job this season responding to adversity. The fourth set was no different, as the Sugar Bears found themselves down two sets to one coming in. UCA took an early 8-4 lead thanks to a 3-0 run, and that would set the tone moving forward. Later, an ace by KSU would tie the set at 16, and that's when UCA did their best work of the afternoon. The Sugar Bears went on an 8-1 run to shock the Owls and put themselves in position to take it to a decisive fifth set. Once again, as she's done time and time again, Alexis Stumbough ends the fourth set with a kill, sealing it 25-18.
The decisive fifth set was tight early. An ace by Alexis McDaniel tied the set at six all. UCA would then take a 10-7 lead and forced a time out from KSU. The Owls didn't back off and would then tie the game at 13 and force UCA to take a time out of its own. The Owls scored three of the last four points of the ballgame and sent UCA home with a disappointing loss.
Stumbough finished her last regular season game as a Sugar Bear with 14 kills and 11 digs, her seventh double-double on the year. Hall had another nice game and finished with 12 kills, four digs, and an ace. Caylan Koons once again went off with 44 assists, nine digs, two kills, three kills and an ace.
Central Arkansas will head to Nashville for the ASUN tournament on Thursday, November 17th. The time and opponent are still to be decided for the Sugar Bears at the moment.
