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Box Score 2 SPRINGFIELD, Mo.?The UALR volleyball won the T.J. Sales/Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational recording victories over Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-15) and Missouri State 3-1 (25-19, 25-22, 18-25, 27-25). For the first time in school history, the Trojans won two invitationals in one season and recorded the best start the Trojans have had since joining Division I with a 9-1 record.
Anita Bucur earned All-Tournament team honors as well as Most Valuable Player, while Amila Barakovic and Guiliana De Francesco also earned All-Tournament team honors.
In the 3-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Katie McCutcheon led the team in kills knocking down four, while Bucur, Kristi Block, and Becky Mann each recorded five kills. Bucur also led the Trojans in attack percentage with a .667 mark. Amy Hafner led the team in digs with 11.
UAPB (0-7) started the first set 2-0 after a kill by Leah Dantzker and a Trojan attack error. UALR tied the score on two Arkansas-Pine Bluff errors. The score would tie twice, before UALR took the lead on a UAPB attack error.
The Trojans held UAPB to 12 points scoring as many as seven straight and won the set 25-12 on a service ace by McCutcheon.
UALR jumped to a 1-0 lead in set two on an Arkansas-Pine Bluff service error. After UAPB tied the score, the Trojans knocked down four straight points including a kill by Mann and a service ace by block to take a 5-1 advantage.
The Trojans allowed only 13 UAPB points and scored the last five straight points to win 25-13.
In set three, UALR jumped to the early lead on a kill by Hafner. UAPB tied the score four times before taking a 6-4 lead on two service aces by Philana Hemlee.
UALR answered back tying the score four times. McCutcheon knocked down a kill to spark a six point run by the Trojans to regain the advantage.
The Trojans scored the last four points of the set winning the match on two service aces by Melissa Soares.
In the 3-1 win over Missouri State (7-4), Bucur recorded a career and team high of 23 kills and recorded a .457 attack percentage on 46 attempts and two errors, while Barakovic recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 16 kills and 11 digs.
De Francesco recorded her second double-double of the season with a career and team high of 55 assists and a career high of 15 digs, and Hafner led the team in digs with 22.
McCutcheon tallied a team high of six total blocks with five being block assists.
In set one, UALR took the opening lead with a kill by Barakovic and a service ace by De Francesco. Missouri State scored their first points on a Trojan service error.
The Bears pushed points and came within two, but the Trojans sustained their advantage holding MSU to 19 points. UALR won the set on a kill by Bucur.
After a Missouri State attack error opened the second set with a 1-0 UALR lead, the Trojans gave the Bears a point on a service error to tie the score. UALR expanded their lead to 4-1, before the Bears pushed points tying the score at four.
The Bears took the lead on a kill by Sara Staubach, but UALR pushed points and tied the score at ten on a kill by Bucur. The score would tie four more times, before a service ace by Bucur helped the Trojans regain their lead.
UALR held their lead and won the set 25-22 on a kill by Bucur.
In set three, MSU jumped to a 1-0 advantage on a kill by Staubach. The score tied three times in the opening points of the set. With the score at five all, the Bears knocked down four straight points to bring the score to 9-6 in MSU's favor.
The Trojans came within one point, but Missouri State held UALR to 19 points and won the set on a kill by Addie Foley.
MSU jumped to the 1-0 lead in set four before an attack error by the Bears tied the score. MSU took the early lead expanding it to three, but the Trojans pushed points tying the score four times.
Missouri State regained their advantage with the score tied at ten on a UALR attack error. The Bears held their lead until UALR pushed points and tied the score at 21 on a kill by McCutcheon.
The scored tied at 24 and 25, before UALR knocked down the final two points on kills by Barakovic and Bucur to win the set and invitational.
UALR continues invitational action next weekend as the Trojans compete in the UT Arlington/Hilton Invitational in Arlington, Texas. The Trojans compete on Friday against Texas Southern at 1 p.m. and Texas-Arlington at 7 p.m. and on Saturday against Sam Houston State at 10 a.m. and New Mexico at 2:30 p.m.
