Little Rock Sweeps Troy in Home Opener

LITTLE ROCK – The Little Rock volleyball team waited five weeks into its season to play its first home match, but the Trojans made the wait worth it at the Jack Stephens Center on Friday night.
 
Little Rock swept visiting Troy 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-17), getting 11 kills from Edina Selimovic and 25 assists from Megan Mathis.
 
With tonight's win, Little Rock extended its conference winning streak to 25 matches, the second-longest in Division I.
 
Little Rock cruised to a 10-point win in the first set after hitting .364 for the frame compared to Troy's .065. Little Rock also held a 4-1 blocking margin on Troy.
 
Other than the first point of the second set, Little Rock (6-6, 2-0 Sun Belt Conference) never trailed in the first two frames. Little Rock cruised to a 10-point win in the second set and led by as many as seven in the second set before eventually claiming the set by five.
 
The third set was tighter as Little Rock was only ahead one point at 11-10, 12-11 and 13-12. But from there, a 6-0 run behind the service of Selimovic gave Little Rock a 19-12 lead. Troy never got within six points again.
 
Selimovic added six total blocks and two aces to her 11 kills. Selimovic also hit a season-high .588 on 17. Mathis added three assisted blocks to her 25 digs.
 
Carolee Dillard finished the match with six kills on 12 attempts while hitting .500. Dillard added six block assists on defense.
 
Marina Avram and Veronica Marin tallied four kills each for the match. Marin also had a career-high five assisted blocks.
 
Priscila Almeida led Little Rock with nine digs with Kelsey Leech recording the second-most with seven.
 
Freshman Taylor Lindberg had one kill and two total blocks (one solo and one assisted).
 
As a team, Little Rock hit .253 for the match compared to Troy's .010 while also outblocking with a 13-3 margin.
 
The Trojans are back in action on Sunday, taking on UT Arlington at noon at the Jack Stephens Center.