CHICAGO, Ill. – Central Arkansas volleyball opened its trip to the Windy City with a split on Friday, sweeping Chicago State before dropping a hard-fought match to host UIC.
In the opener, the Sugar Bears overpowered Chicago State in straight sets (25-15, 25-9, 25-23). Gabby Tuiaana led the way with a dominant all-around performance, finishing with 17 kills, three aces, three blocks, and eight digs. She got plenty of help offensively, as Laci Bohannan and Ella Chaney each tallied 10 kills.
Caylan Koons set the tone with 31 assists and added an ace, while Alexis McDaniel anchored the back row with 14 digs. Defensively at the net, Tuiaana, Karlyn Frazier, and McKinzee Haas each contributed three blocks to stifle the Cougar attack.
Later in the evening, UCA battled host UIC but fell in three sets (17-25, 26-28, 19-25). Tuiaana again paced the offense with 15 kills and added four blocks, while Bohannan and Haas chipped in seven and five kills, respectively. Haas also made her presence felt defensively with a team-high five blocks.
Koons once again directed the attack with 31 assists, while McDaniel contributed 10 digs and two aces to lead the defensive effort.
The Sugar Bears return to action on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 12 p.m. against DePaul to wrap up play in Chicago.
