Box Score LITTLE ROCK – The UALR volleyball team extended its winning streak to 16 with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-18) sweep of Troy at the Jack Stephens Center on Saturday night.
UALR (21-4, 15-0 Sun Belt Conference) got a double-double from Sonja Milanovic – her 11th of the season – as the junior notched 10 kills and 14 digs. Senior Edina Begic was also in double-digit kills, leading UALR with 12. Begic is now eight kills away from 2,000 in her career.
UALR was also excellent at the net, totaling 15.5 team blocks and getting seven block assists from Carolee Dillard. UALR forced Troy into a -.010 hitting percentage, an opponent's lowest hitting percentage against UALR in Sun Belt play.
Sophomore setter Megan Mathis recorded another 30-assist night, and senior libero Capri Rino picked up another double-digit digs night with 10.
The first set started out very even, with the team battling back and forth until the late going. With the set tied at 17-17, UALR went on a three-point run to take a 20-17 advantage, the first time either team led by three at any point in the set. UALR got that lead on kills by Begic, Dillard and an Edina Selimovic service ace. Troy got as close as two at 21-19, but UALR closed out the set on four straight points. UALR got a kill by Dillard, two Troy errors and a Begic service ace to finish out the first frame.
In the second set, things were again tight in the early going with UALR only ahead by two at 11-9. But a five-point run on a service run by Capri Rino got UALR ahead 16-9, and UALR never looked back. UALR extended its lead to as many as 10 points throughout the set, and their set-winning point on a Troy attack error made it an 11-point set victory.
The final frame saw UALR get control early on, leading 7-3 behind multiple errors from Troy. The lead grew to 11-5 before Troy took its first timeout, but UALR only improved its lead to 15-8 before Troy was forced to use its second timeout. Little changed for the visitors after their second timeout, and four kills in a five-point span from Adisa Hodzic, Milanovic and Begic. The set and match came to an end when UALR got a triple block on a Darby Griff attack. Begic, Dillard and Milanovic all went up to reject the Troy attack and send the fans home happy.
UALR is away from home next weekend for a big road test at UT Arlington and Texas State. The Trojans take on the Mavericks on Friday at 6:30 p.m. before facing the Bobcats on Saturday at 7 p.m.
