Little Rock Earns Comeback Win Over Louisiana

LAFAYETTE, La. – Down 2-0 for the match entering the third set, Little Rock volleyball (8-13, 4-4 Sun Belt) overcame the deficit with a five-set comeback win (16-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-17, 17-15) over Louisiana (7-15, 3-4 Sun Belt) on Sunday afternoon at Earl K. Long Gymnasium.
 
Edina Selimovic led the Trojan offense with a match-high 16 kills and a match-high .448 hitting percentage. Marina Avram recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 15 kills and a career-high 19 digs. Avram hit .312 for the match with no errors on 48 swings. Taylor Lindberg tallied her second consecutive double-double with 44 assists and 16 digs. Carolee Dillard was the match's top blocker as she put up six total (three solo and three assisted) while also putting down 12 kills.
 
"I'm really proud of this team," head coach Van Compton said. "They worked hard and were determined to win after starting the match down two sets."
 
With the match tied 2-2 entering the fifth set, the Trojans started the frame with a 6-3 deficit before tying the Cajuns with two kills and a Louisiana attack error. Tied at nine, Louisiana claimed match point with a 5-1 run at 14-10. After a Dillard kill and a block by Selimovic and Miona Milovanovic, the Cajuns called timeout with a 14-12 lead. After the timeout, Selimovic and Milovanovic put up another block and the Cajuns hit a long error to tie set at 14. Louisiana earned match point once again on a Trojan service error, but Little Rock wasn't finished. A block by Selimovic and Milovanovic tied the frame at 15 before Selimovic put down the go-ahead kill. With Little Rock's first match point, Avram put down her 15th kill of the match to hand Louisiana the five-set loss. Little Rock hit .346 for the set — its best of the match.
 
Tied at 14 halfway through the fourth set, Little Rock went on a 9-2 run to take a 23-16 lead before Louisiana responded with a kill. The Trojans finished off the Cajuns with a Louisiana attack error and a Selimovic kill to tie the match at 2-2 and force a fifth set. The Trojans hit .333 for the frame.
 
The third set started tight as both teams remained tied at 7-7, but Louisiana rattled off four consecutive points to take an 11-7 lead. After going down by five points at 13-8, Little Rock tied the set at 16 with an 8-3 run. Both squads remained inseparable as the two remained tied at 22. After kills by Milovanovic and Selimovic gave the Trojans set point, the Cajuns called their final timeout.  Louisiana got a kill out of the timeout, but Little Rock put the set away with a Selimovic kill. The Trojans hit .300 for the set.
 
Little Rock got off to a blazing start in the second set with a 6-1 run, forcing an early Louisiana timeout. The Cajuns brought the Trojans' lead down to three at 7-4, but the Trojans responded by taking a six-point lead at 11-5. Louisiana took its first lead of the set at 17-16 on a kill before going up 20-17. After Little Rock called timeout, the Trojans scored three consecutive points on a Dillard/Lindberg block, a Cajun attack error and a Dillard kill. The Cajuns then called their final timeout as the Trojans tied the set at 20. From there, it was a race to see who could score five points first. Louisiana took the lead out of the timeout and never lost control as it grabbed the set with a 5-2 run.
 
The Trojans started the match with a 5-2 lead, but the Cajuns got hot and took a 13-point lead at 19-6. Little Rock finally got a small run going and brought the set back to single-digits at 19-10 with four consecutive points. Louisiana earned set point at 24-13 with a Little Rock service error, but the Trojans put up three straight points to force a Cajuns timeout. Out of the timeout, Louisiana took the set with a kill. Avram led the Trojans with four kills and a .400 hitting percentage on 10 attempts.
 
Milovanovic ended the match with seven kills and four block assists. Hope Larmour scooped up 11 digs, tallied her first career kill and had two aces. Kelsey Leech had 10 digs and an ace while Sydnee Martin had nine digs. Veronica Marin put down three kills while Daisha Gillard tallied two.
 
In each of the last three sets, Little Rock hit .300 or better and ended the match with a .275 hitting percentage. The Trojans also outblocked the Cajuns 12-5.

The Trojans' last five-set win after being down 2-0 came in 2013 against Georgia State in Little Rock.
 
Little Rock now has a two-match winning streak as it returns home to face Troy and South Alabama beginning on Friday at the Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans will hold their annual Dig Pink match on Saturday against South Alabama.