Box Score LITTLE ROCK – UALR kept its Sun Belt record unblemished after beating UT Arlington 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 26-24, 25-16) at the Jack Stephens Center on Friday night.
Senior Edina Begic would again be the star of the match after recording her 51st career double-double by posting 11 digs and a season-high 27 kills. Begic's previous season-high came against Miami when she racked up 24. Begic also recorded the match's highest hitting percentage with .408.
After recording 18 kills and 11 digs of her own, junior Sonja Milanovic earned her fourth double-double of the season.
After losing a tight third set to UT Arlington, UALR got back in the groove of things by starting the fourth set with four straight kills. The Trojans would start the frame on an 11-5 run before two attack errors forced the Mavericks to take their first timeout. After the timeout, UTA committed two more attack errors, extending the Trojans lead to 13-5. UALR would keep the run going by getting out to its largest lead of the night at 21-11. UTA would try battling back, earning five more points, but UALR had the final say as a kill by junior Edina Selimovic would seal the contest. The Trojans outhit the Mavericks .361-.135 in the final set.
Before a match-winning fourth set, UALR's only downfall of the night would come in the third. After both squads tied the match at 8-8, UTA would go on a roll by scoring seven straight points. The Mavericks would extend their lead to 19-12 before the Trojans came roaring back by on an 8-1 run to tie the set at 20. The set would go into extra points after a Begic kill tied the match at 24. However, two straight kills by UTA would end the frame. The set wound up being Milanovic's best set of the night after she racked up eight kills.
UALR started the second set down 4-1. After three Maverick errors and a kill by Begic, the Trojans tied the set at five. The two teams then battled to tie again at eight before UALR scored four straight points. Although it remained close, the Trojans held the lead for the rest of the set. Begic earned nine kills on 14 attempts and hit .643 for the set.
The first set started out much like the second as UALR trailed 5-1. The Trojans trailed the entire first set until a UTA attack error tied the frame at 21. A kill by senior Adisa Hodzic would give UALR its first lead of the night. From there, the Trojans would end the set on a 4-1 run and cap the frame off with a service ace by Begic. Begic ended the set with nine kills on 15 attempts.
Sophomore setter Megan Mathis set a new career-high by dishing out 53 assists. Her previous career-high was 49 earlier this season against Miami.
Senior libero Capri Rino scooped up 19 digs, her highest total of the season.
Mathis, Selimovic, and redshirt sophomore Carolee Dillard would each record four total blocks, with Dillard recording the team's only solo block.
As a team, the Trojans recorded their second-highest kills and assists totals of the season with 62 and 58, respectively. UALR also scooped up its third-highest digs total of the season with 56.
The Trojans will try to go 6-0 in the Sun Belt and win their seventh consecutive match when they return to action on Sunday (Oct. 5) in Statesboro, Ga., by facing Sun Belt newcomer Georgia Southern at 11 a.m.
