FLORENCE, Ala. – After an hour's delay due to a lack of power in the Florence area, the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears put together a four-set win over North Alabama on Wednesday, completing the season sweep over the Lions.
 
The Sugar Bears (11-10, 8-3 ASUN) got a great performance from junior Gabby Tuiaana, who led the team with 16 kills, adding five aces, five digs and four blocks, all while hitting .467. Laci Bohannan added 12 kills, and three other Sugar Bears had seven or more to go along with the strong offensive night. Sophie Skinner made the start against the Lions, and poured in a season-best 42 assists in the win.
 
Central Arkansas jumped out to a 6-2 lead to start the match, as a couple of kills from Bohannan paired nicely with some errors on the Lions. But once the Lions got their footing, they closed the gap and eventually took a 9-8 lead, and throughout the middle points of the match, the sides traded the lead to a 14-13 Central Arkansas advantage.
 
 Back-to-back points by Greyson Button, a kill and a block, helped spur a 6-3 burst to take a 20-16 lead. After trading a few more points, the Sugar Bears powered through to take set one 25-20, capped by a kill from Button.
 
The second set was nearly a mirror of the first, as the Sugar Bears bolted out to a 9-3 lead. But this time, Central Arkansas kept the Lions at bay, keeping the lead at six at 14-8, and even adding to it to make it 19-10. It wasn't until late that the hosts were able to cut into the lead, getting within four at 21-17. The teams traded points until Tuianna finished the set with back-to-back kills, setting the Sugar Bears up with a two-set lead.
 
Things were rolling for the Sugar Bears, but the third set started out more closely contested than the first two. Tied at seven apiece, Central Arkansas pounced on an opportunity to build a lead, and rattled off eight-straight points to make it 15-7, and looked to sweep North Alabama on the road. But the Lions put together a run of their own, turning an eight-point deficit into a four-point lead, and North Alabama was the team to take a strong set three performance to their only set win of the night.
 
Sufficiently reminded that matches aren't over until they're over, the Sugar Bears shook off the third set and opened the fourth with back-to-back blocks, reestablishing a sense of control. Central Arkansas used those points to build a 7-2 lead, which stretched to 9-4, then 13-7, and 16-9. North Alabama fought back into it, cutting a seven-point lead to four to make it 19-15, but the Sugar Bears responded with a 4-1 burst to take full control. A few points later, and Central Arkansas took its second 3-1 win over North Alabama this season.
 
For the moment, the win over the Lions reestablishes Central Arkansas as the sole possessor of the two-seed in the ASUN. The Sugar Bears have a chance to cut the gap between second and first on Saturday, facing off with 9-1 Jacksonville at the Prince Center. Celebrating Senior Day, the Sugar Bears host the Dolphins at 11 a.m.