FLORENCE, Ala. – The University of Central Arkansas volleyball team dropped its ASUN conference opener at North Alabama in four sets on Friday night. The loss drops UCA to 4-7 on the season and 0-1 in ASUN play.
UCA was very much in the match early on, however a long run from North Alabama gave the Lions enough separation. In a tight set, tied at 8 all, the Lions rattled off six in a row to make it 14-8 and allowed UNA to seize momentum early. That was the majority of the separation in the first set, with the Lions able to hum along to clinch the first set victory, 25-17.
Service errors plagued both teams throughout the match, and the error bug would bite the Lions early on as three of them early on would keep the Sugar Bears in it. Shortly after, UNA would find another big run, tallying seven in a row to take an 18-10 advantage. Long runs by UCA were a thorn in the Sugar Bears' side the whole match Friday night. UCA tried to stick its nose back in this one with a 3-0 run down the stretch, but the Lions ultimately won the second set, 25-20.
The third set was truly back-and-forth, as the two teams traded blows until UNA was the first team to score back-to-back points and make it 9-8. To this point, the Lions were the only team that went on prolonged scoring runs, but UCA unleashed a six-point run to take a 17-13 lead. Another run of five straight capped off with a kill by Mackenzie Vernon made it 23-18 Sugar Bears. UCA got a kill from Laci Bohannan to seal the deal and get a set back, 25-19.
The fourth set was a wild ride, filled with a lot of action including a few replay reviews, and above all, very little separation. After UNA tied things at 11 all, the two teams struggled to get a two-point lead at any point until the end of the set. With UCA leading 21-20, the Lions went for the knockout punch with a run of four straight and took a 24-21 lead. The Sugar Bears put in a great effort all the way through, but it just wasn't enough, and UNA took the fourth set, 25-22.
Bohannan had her best match of the season, totaling 14 kills, while Charleston Tidwell had 12 kills. Vernon and Allison Holloway also put in solid performances, pitching in 11 kills each. Caylan Koons had another stellar performance, putting up 43 assists and 19 digs to lead the Sugar Bears. Samantha Cousins got her first collegiate start and tallied her first two kills as a Sugar Bear.
UCA is back in action on Saturday, September 16th against Mississippi Valley State at 11:00 a.m. and Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 3:00 p.m. Fans can keep up with both matches on X at @UCAVball.
