Box Score LITTLE ROCK – The UALR volleyball team remained undefeated in Sun Belt Conference play with a dominant 3-0 (25-8, 25-23, 25-15) sweep of in-state rival Arkansas State at the Jack Stephens Center on Tuesday night.
UALR's sweep of Arkansas State was its first sweep against the Red Wolves since 2008 its first home sweep against the Red Wolves since 2007.
Sonja Milanovic led the Trojans (15-4, 9-0 SBC) with her seventh double-double of the season on a team-high 14 kills and 11 digs. Senior Edina Begic tallied 12 kills, and setter Megan Mathis had 36 assists. The Trojans also out-blocked the Red Wolves by a margin of 8 to 3.5.
The Trojans set the mood with an incredible first set. With the teams knotted at 5-5 in the early stages, UALR scored 20 of the next 23 points to claim its fourth-most lopsided set win of the season and its most lopsided set win ever against the Red Wolves. Before Tuesday night, UALR had never held Arkansas State below 12 points in a set in the rally scoring era. Helping the Trojans be so dominant in the first set was the Red Wolves' -.138 hitting percentage, while the Trojans hit their highest percentage of the match with .560.
After UALR jumped out to an 8-3 lead to start the second set, Arkansas State tightened it by going on a 6-1 run to tie the set at 9-9. After a kill, the Red Wolves held hold their only lead of the set at 10-9. The Trojans then inched their way to a five-point lead at 18-13 before the Red Wolves would catch up to tie the set at 21. Arkansas State hung around for the rest of the set before an attack error gave UALR the win.
The final set saw Arkansas State fighting to stay alive as they took an early lead, but UALR came back to tie at 10 before taking the frame over on a 15-5 run. The Trojans would score in two- to four-point spurts for the rest of the set, allowing the Red Wolves only one point at a time. Sophomore Edina Selimovic contributed with two service aces in a row during the run, giving her three for the match. UALR rocked a .448 hitting percentage for the set while Arkansas State sported its second-lowest set of the night with .111.
Begic hit an even .400 for the match on 25 attempts, and her 12 kills now puts her career total at 1,905.
Milanovic's 14 kills and attack percentage of .429 were the highest this season against a conference opponent.
Mathis' 36 assists was her highest total in a three-set match this season while her nine digs were her most against a conference opponent.
Sophomore Carolee Dillard tallied seven kills, and fellow sophomore Kelsey Leech added six digs, her second-highest total of the season.
UALR's .418 attack percentage was its highest this season against a conference opponent, while Arkansas State's 18 errors played a large part in its .102 hitting percentage.
UALR returns to action on Friday at Troy at 6 p.m., looking to get off to a 10-0 start in conference action.
