Box Score LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The UALR volleyball team completed a three-game sweep of the New Mexico State Tournament on Saturday afternoon, downing Southern Utah 3-2 (17-25, 25-22, 25-23, 23-25, 15-7) in a back-and-forth five-set affair.
The Trojans (5-4) lost the opening set but took the next two. The Thunderbirds (1-7), though claimed the fourth set to force a deciding fifth frame.
There, UALR showed that it knows how to win when a match goes the distance. The Trojans – winners of seven five-set matches in 2012 – got an early service run from Adisa Hodzic to turn a 4-3 lead into an 8-3 advantage. Southern Utah never got within three points after that. Up 13-7, the Trojans got two straight points on the service of Allison Wyatt and the deciding kill from Edina Begic.
UALR has now won four of its last five games and is over .500 for the first time in 2013.
Begic led the way on offense with 30 kills and also added seven digs. Sonja Milanovic and Wyatt had 15 and 14 digs, respectively, to lead the Trojans, and Marleen de Zoete topped the team with 54 assists on the afternoon. Milanovic also had 18 kills to her name.
The Trojans had a chance to clinch in the fourth set, but Southern Utah built a huge lead and held on for the 25-23 win. SUU went ahead 14-8 before two Begic kills around a pair of attack errors for the Thunderbirds cut the deficit to three. Down 16-11 later in the set, a Begic kill, two blocks by UALR and a kill by freshman Rachel Williams brought UALR within one. Down by five again at 24-19, a service error put UALR on the comeback trail. After another SUU error, Carolee Dillard stuffed the Thunderbirds at the net to cut the deficit to 24-22. A Milanovic kill brought UALR within one, but Kylie Schofield ended the set with a kill and tied the match.
UALR gave up the first four points in set three but rallied and held on for the two-point win. Two SUU errors, a pair of kills from Begic and a kill from Milanovic put UALR up 5-4 and forced a timeout. A Milanovic ace and Begic kill capped the seven-point UALR run. Southern Utah went on to tie the set at 19 later with an Alissa Youart kill and a pair of aces. Up 24-23, UALR's Milanovic slammed the ball to the court as UALR took a 2-1 lead.
The Trojans hung around in set two to blow by Southern Utah at the end of the frame. UALR fell behind 11-7 when a Milanovic kill, an SUU error and a Begic block brought the Trojans within one. Down 18-17 later in the set, Begic recorded a kill, and a ball-handling error by Southern Utah gave the Trojans its first set lead. Tied at 21, Begic tallied a kill and a pair of SUU attack errors put UALR on a trio of set points. A Taylor Heine killed extended the match, but Begic slammed her 10th kill of the set to the court to tie the match.
UALR fell behind by three early in the first set and lost the opening frame by eight. Down to SUU 16-12, two errors by the Thunderbirds and a Milanovic kill cut the deficit to one. UALR climbed no closer as Southern Utah scored five of the last six points.
The Trojans play again next weekend in their final tournament of the non-conference season. UALR travels to nearby Memphis for matches against Austin Peay and Memphis on Friday and a date with La Salle on Saturday.
