Dillard Breaks Block Record as Trojans Defeat Bobcats

LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock volleyball (12-15, 8-6 Sun Belt) snapped Texas State's nine-match winning streak with a 3-1 (25-19, 17-25, 26-24, 25-21) victory on Friday night at the Jack Stephens Center.
 
The win over the Bobcats (18-10, 11-2) was even more special for Carolee Dillard as the redshirt senior broke both the Little Rock program record (564) and the Sun Belt rally-scoring record (566) for career blocks with eight for the night. Dillard's career total now stands at 571.
 
Veronica Marin led the Trojans with 10 kills and had a match-high .350 hitting percentage. Marina Avram put down nine kills and two aces while Edina Selimovic had seven kills with three block assists. Along with Dillard's block total, she put down six kills and a .294 hitting percentage. Taylor Lindberg had 26 assists, eight digs and six block assists. Hope Larmour and Kelsey Leech each scooped up 14 digs and served up an ace.
 
Down 10-9 in the fourth frame, Little Rock put together an 8-1 run to take a 17-11 lead over Texas State. The Bobcats whittled the Trojans' lead down to one at 17-16 with five consecutive points, but Little Rock never lost control of the lead. The Trojans took the set with a four-point win as Selimovic put down the match's final kill.
 
Tied 1-1 for the match heading into the third set, Little Rock built up an eight-point lead at 15-7. Texas State battled back with seven consecutive points to cut the Trojans' lead to one at 16-15. The Bobcats eventually tied the Trojans at 24 before an Avram kill and a Texas State attack error ended the set and gave Little Rock a 2-1 lead for the match.
 
Little Rock dropped its only set of the night in the second frame as Texas State got off to a hot 11-1 lead. The Trojans were able to cut the Bobcats' lead to four at 13-9, but they got no closer as Texas State took the set with an eight-point win.
 
The Trojans began the match on a high-note as they took a six-point win over the Bobcats. Texas State began the set with a 5-1 lead, but Little Rock fought back to tie the frame at 16. With the Bobcats up 18-16, the Trojans put together a 9-1 run to win the set. Little Rock finished the set hitting .394 — the best by either team for the entire match.
 
Miona Milovanovic tallied three kills, two aces, six digs and block. Sydnee Martin had three digs with an ace, and Daisha Gillard had one block assist and one dig.
 
Little Rock's win guarantees the Trojans finish at .500 or above in Sun Belt play for the fifth consecutive season. The Trojans now need one more win or a Louisiana loss to clinch a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
 
The Trojans' victory was the 499th career win for head coach Van Compton. She'll be looking for her 500th victory as the Trojans return to action against UT Arlington at 12:30 p.m., on Sunday at the Jack Stephens Center.