Nashville- With the season hanging in the balance, the Central Arkansas volleyball team came up big as they rallied past a 1-0 Bellarmine deficit to win the match 3-1.
It was a story of determination for the Sugar Bears as they battled a Knights lead, a crucial injury, and a slow start to eventually win the match. One of the biggest stories of the match came as junior Alexis Stumbough went down, but UCA did not let that phase them as their freshmen stepped up big. Mackenzie Vernon led the squad with 14 kills, Shelbi Owens in a mid-match Libero switch led the squad with 12 digs, and Allison Holloway took home five blocks for the team lead. Other significant performances to note were freshman Lily Taylor, who hosted eight kills and eight digs, and junior Anna Williams, who claimed 38 assists.
Set 1:
The Knights offense was firing on all cylinders, which was too hot to handle as Bellarmine took the initial set. As a squad, the Knights hit .387 as they brought on big-time kills that the Sugar Bears could not defend. Overall this set was Bellarmines to win, and they did as they coasted to a 25-16 set victory.
Set 2:
The highlight of the second set, especially for the Sugar Bears, happened late as they went on a 9-0 run to claim the set. After being down 20-16, the momentum suddenly shifted towards the Sugar Bears' direction as they entered into an uncharted amount of dominance. This resilience to that initial deficit started with a booming kill from Taylor. From there, UCA got some help from the errors of the Knights, and before the home team knew it, the Sugar Bears had it 25-20.
Set 3:
UCA outlasted the Knights, as the Sugar Bears claimed an early lead and continued fighting until it was final. UCA held the lead from the very beginning as the Knights never got the chance to hold an advantage in the set. With the ability to coast, the Sugar Bears never looked back as they posted one of their best offensive performances of the season. In this set, UCA hit a season-high for percentage as they posted a .469 hitting percentage throughout. The Sugar Bears easily maneuvered their way to a 25-21 set victory with all that in mind.
Set 4:
With momentum surging, the Sugar Bears did not stutter as they came out strong and finished in the same fashion. Once again, UCA held the advantage throughout but did not get the same offensive swagger they had in the third. Mostly this set was about grinding out mistakes from the Knights, and they played it perfectly as Bellarmine was their own worst enemy with seven errors. While opportunities still presented themselves to the Knights, the Sugar Bears' destiny was to win it in four as they did 25-20.
Next, the Sugar Bears will continue their road trip to Richmond to face EKU at 3 p.m. This will be a big match as both teams are currently tied for third place in the West Division.
Quote from John Newberry:
"I'm really proud of this team win. Before the game, we talked about being resilient. They had to overcome some adversity. There's no doubt they were resilient after a few unfortunate events. I am really proud of Vernon. She had a great week of practice and had a great offensive game. Lily Taylor was a big reason for the win today as well. I thought she had a great passing game and did a great job offensively too. Even though we had to make a personnel change, Lexie Gregory and Shelbi Owens made some great defensive adjustments in order for us to transition better in our offense."
SUGAR BEARS RALLY IN THE CRUCIAL MATCH AGAINST BELLARMINE - University of Central Arkansas Athletics - UCA Sports
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