JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Central Arkansas volleyball team battled for five incredibly back-and-forth sets, and ultimately clinched an ASUN win over North Florida Saturday afternoon. The Sugar Bears got quality production from all over the court, and stayed unbeaten in conference play.
 
Central Arkansas (7-7, 4-0 ASUN) had to pull out all the stops to get the win over a feisty Ospreys team, and every set except the second was decided by three or fewer points. Laci Bohannan (17), Gabby Tuiaana (14) and Samantha Cousins (10) all had double-digit kills in the win. Caylan Koons had her 11^th career 50 assist match, and four Sugar Bears had double-digit digs.
 
Set one saw a balanced offense from the Sugar Bears, with a number of players taking swings against the Osprey defense. But North Florida was able to climb to a 7-3 lead early, taking early control with some errors on the Sugar Bears, and the run was capped by a service ace. Central Arkansas fought back into the first set by scoring seven of the next nine points to take a 10-9 lead, with four points coming off of UNF errors. But as soon as Central Arkansas felt like the momentum was swinging its way, the pendulum swung the opposite way, and a back-and-forth first ended with a 4-1 run after being tied at 21-21 in favor of the home team.
 
The Sugar Bears came out on fire in the second set, scoring 10 of the first 13 points and racing out to a seven-point lead. Cousins was big early in the second, putting down four kills in the run to help her team jump out early. Central Arkansas continued to hammer the Ospreys, hitting over .500 for the majority of the set and sprinting to a 20-10 lead. But with the set win in sight, the Sugar Bears started to let the lead slip, and soon, a ten-point lead was whittled down to just four. Greyson Button got the train back on track with a kill to make it 23-18, and an error a few points later knotted the game at one set apiece.
 
Momentum swung the other way in the third, and North Florida broke out its own run after the set was tied at 10-10. An 8-0 sprint broke the set open for the Ospreys, who used a smattering of kills and aces to go up another set. Central Arkansas battled back into it, getting as close as one by 24-23, but the Sugar Bears couldn't complete the comeback, and North Florida went up 2-1.
 
Up to the point of the first four sets, the fourth set saw the sides stay closest together, with the largest lead of the set at just three points. In a set that saw ten ties and four lead changes, neither side could really grab a foothold and keep it. Bohannan, who had been relatively quiet for her standards, woke up in a big way, dropping six kills on .385 hitting to help the Sugar Bears avoid a loss in set four. Koons was also a big part in keeping the hopes of a five-set win alive, adding three kills, two aces, and 11 assists to help Central Arkansas extend the match. The fourth was the third set in which Koons had ten or more assists, and the Sugar Bears battled to force a fifth.
 
Just like the fourth, the fifth saw both teams refuse to back down, matching each other point for point. After tying the score at 5-5, every single point was a tie, highlighting the back-and-forth effort from both sides. Bohannan and Tuiaana were offensive catalysts, combining for seven kills in the set. Finally, tied at 16-16, a successful challenge gave the Sugar Bears a one-point lead, and a Bohannan kill sealed the deal, handing the Sugar Bears their fourth-straight ASUN win.
 
Central Arkansas continues to challenge Florida schools for the next two outings, getting Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson at home next week.