Kennesaw, Ga. – Central Arkansas dropped a tough matchup at Kennesaw State in five sets. With the loss, UCA falls to 0-2 in ASUN play.
The first set went to the Owls, as they took advantage of an early lead and never surrendered the lead for the rest of the set. UCA went on a 4-0 run late in the set, but it was too late, as Kennesaw State secured the set by a score of 25-18.
In the second set, the Sugar Bears weren't concerned that the ball didn't bounce their way early on in the match and played Kennesaw State tight early. UCA, like last night against Jacksonville State, capitalized on scoring runs, using two separate 3-0 runs to establish a nice little lead at 11-6. Any Kennesaw State comeback attempt would prove to be futile, as UCA established momentum and took the second set 25-19.
Momentum never lasts forever, and the third set was proof of that. UCA experienced some great highs, like back-to-back aces by Lilly Taylor. Ultimately, the highs were not quite enough for UCA to take the third set, as Kennesaw State used a 3-0 run down the stretch to take it by a score of 28-26. The Sugar Bears gave the Owls all they could handle, but fell just short in the third set, and just like that, the momentum swung back to the Owls.
The body language on the Sugar Bears' sideline was not what one would expect from a team that had just let an opportunity slip away. Instead, they looked ready to go, and proved as much when they forced an early timeout from Kennesaw State after taking a 10-7 lead. That lead would prove to be enough for the Sugar Bears, because they never trailed for the rest of the set. KSU attempted to wedge themselves back into the game late, but UCA denied them with a clutch kill by Kendall Haywood down the stretch which allowed the Sugar Bears to even things up and take the fourth set by a score of 25-20.
Neither team could take a substantial lead until late in the deciding fifth set. The score was deadlocked at 12 late in the set, and it looked like 15 wouldn't be enough, as the teams were content with going back-and-forth all set. Ultimately, Kennesaw State seized momentum and scored the final three points of the game and took the final set, 15-12.
Mackenzie Vernon and Alexis Stumbough once again had good performances, with Vernon tallying 16 kills to lead UCA and Stumbough adding 11. Marissa McKelvey led the Sugar Bears with 26 assists, but freshman Caylan Koons was not far behind with 24 assists.
Central Arkansas will hit the road and take on Little Rock on Tuesday, September 27th at 6 p.m. You can follow every game this season on Twitter at @ucavball.
The Link Lonk
September 25, 2022 at 07:27AM
https://ucasports.com/news/2022/9/24/volleyball-sugar-bears-drop-hard-fought-match-with-kennesaw-state.aspx
Sugar Bears drop hard fought match with Kennesaw State - University of Central Arkansas Athletics - UCA Sports
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