CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas volleyball team started the Central Arkansas Invitational with an exciting win over Little Rock, claiming its share of the Governor's I-40 Showdown with a thrilling five-set win.
The Sugar Bears (1-2) picked up their first win of the season in front of the Sugar Bear faithful, playing their first home game of the season in the Prince Center. Serving proved to be a big difference in the match, as Central Arkansas compiled 13 aces, compared to just two by the Trojans.
Laci Bohannan was a key factor serving the ball, leading the team with five service aces, the most by a Sugar Bear since 2023.
Brinley Burdette and
Ella Chaney each added three, and
Alexis McDaniel and
Gabby Tuiaana each had one.
Central Arkansas jumped out early in the first set, sprinting out to a 13-5 lead over the visiting Trojans. Little Rock's biggest run would be just three points, and the lead remained close to double-digits the entire first set. A balanced offense served the Sugar Bears well, as six players would record kills as the home team took the first set 25-15. The Sugar Bears logged six aces in the opening stanza, including three from Bohannan and two from Burdette.
The second set remained close throughout, with the aces drying up and the Little Rock offense being able to get the ball back over the net. The Trojans moved the ball around, oftentimes finding a kill from Bella Cherry, who tallied six in the set, and Little Rock was able to sneak out the second set, after an 8-2 run in the middle of the set allowed the Trojans to pull back into the match and steal the set.
It was right back to the chopping block in set three; Central Arkansas came out swinging, putting together a 7-0 run to build a 13-7 lead. Little Rock tried to close the gap, but the Sugar Bears mixed up the offense and shared the ball down the stretch, compiling a 10-3 run to stretch a three-point lead to a ten-point set win. Tuiaana and
Greyson Button combined for eight kills in the set, while Little Rock had seven attack errors to just six kills.
The fourth set was another 25-23 dogfight that fell in favor of the Trojans. It was a set that saw both offenses find rhythms, with both teams tallying 14 kills and limiting errors to five or fewer. Bohannan was the engine for the Sugar Bears, delivering seven kills in the set, but Little Rock was able to put together a 6-1 run late to snare the fourth.
The fifth and final set didn't feel very close, as Little Rock opened the frame with back-to-back errors to allow the Sugar Bears to build momentum. Central Arkansas built the lead to 9-4 on kills from Button and
Samantha Cousins, and despite a couple of bursts from Little Rock, the home crowd carried the team to the finish line. The high-scorers for the Sugar Bears capped the night with kills from Bohannan and Tuiaana for the final two kills of the night, and the Sugar Bears took the fifth 15-11.
Bohannan led the team with 17 kills, and Tuiaana added 14 of her own. Koons tallied 42 assists, with 12 digs for her first double-double of the season. McDaniel led the team with 22 digs, and the defense combined for 16.0 total blocks.
The Sugar Bears have two more games in the Central Arkansas Invitational, playing host to Southeastern Louisiana at noon on Saturday and Boston College at 4 p.m. on Sunday.