FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Central Arkansas volleyball team ended its best season since joining the ASUN on Friday, dropping its ASUN Championship Semifinal match against Lipscomb.
 
The Sugar Bears fell 3-0, but each and every set was competitive, and both teams had momentum swings and chances throughout. Five Sugar Bears had at least five kills, Caylan Koons had 30 assists, and Alexis McDaniel led the team with 15 digs.
 
Play was even for the first half of the first set, with the sides battling back and forth to a 9-9 tie. Lipscomb pulled a couple of points ahead, but the Sugar Bears didn't back down, trying to stay in the match. But soon, a couple of five-point runs by the Bisons allowed the other team to start pulling away, and before long, the Sugar Bears were down double-digit points. Despite battling back a few points, Central Arkansas surrendered the first set.
 
Central Arkansas jumped out early in the second set, taking advantage of some early errors and getting kills from Greyson Button and Regan Harp to take an early 10-4 lead. Central Arkansas would battle to keep the lead, but a determined Lipscomb team whittled the lead away bit by bit, until the score was level at 18-18. The score remained close toward the end of the set, but a late burst by the Bisons gave them a 2-0 set advantage.
 
The third set went the exact opposite of the second, with Lipscomb taking the early lead. This time, it would be the Sugar Bears who would chip into the lead as the set continued, and Central Arkansas eventually tied the set at 17-17 before a kill by Button gave the Sugar Bears an 18-17 lead. But just as in the first two sets, late offense by the Bisons proved to be too much, and an 8-2 run finished off the match.
 
Friday's loss ended what can only be described as the best season for Central Arkansas volleyball since joining the ASUN. There was plenty of personal success among the Sugar Bears, including a Setter of the Year award, five All-ASUN awards, and a Coach of the Year nod for head coach John Newberry. But the individual accolades wouldn't have happened without team success, and there was plenty of that too. The Sugar Bears held the No. 1 seed for nearly half the ASUN season, and claimed the highest seed since joining the league. The Sugar Bears then won their first ASUN Championship match, advancing to the ASUN Semifinals for the first time.