Trojan Comeback Falls Short Against Montana

DALLAS – Down by two sets, Little Rock volleyball (0-2) nearly had a comeback win, but it fell short to Montana (1-1) in the fifth set as the Grizzlies took the 3-2 win (25-27, 20-25, 25-19, 25-14, 11-15) on Friday night at Moody Coliseum on the campus of SMU.
 
Marina Avram led the Trojans with 19 kills, breaking her old career high of 15. Avram also led the match with a .412 hitting percentage.
 
Little Rock led the vast majority of the first set, but Montana got back in the set after numerous errors by the Trojans. With the Trojans up 21-13, the Grizzlies went on a 10-2 run to knot the set at 23. A block by Milovanovic gave Little Rock set point, but Montana answered with a kill by Missy Huddleston. Tied 25-25, two kills by Huddleston allowed Montana to steal the set.
 
 Down 7-2 to begin the second set, Little Rock battled back to bring the score within one at 17-16. Two consecutive blocks by Montana then forced a Trojan timeout. Out of the timeout, a kill by Marina Avram and a Montana attack error brought the set within one again at 19-18. A 6-2 run by the Grizzlies secured the set for Montana and gave them a 2-0 lead for the match.
 
The Trojans got off to a slow start in the third set by trailing 9-4, but seven straight points allowed Little Rock to take the lead at 11-9. Taylor Lindberg made her mark during the run with four kills and a block assist. The Trojans continued to play well after the run and eventually built their lead to five points at 19-14, forcing a Montana timeout. The rest of the set was back and forth, but Little Rock held on to win its first set of the season by six.
 
The fourth set was all Little Rock as the Trojans took the frame with an 11-point win. Avram put down a set-high six kills as the Trojans hit a match-high .500 during the frame. Little Rock had four blocks for the set compared to the Montana's zero.
 
The decisive fifth set started on a good note for the Trojans as Aubrey Wilson got an ace to begin the frame. However, Montana took control as it got out to a 5-1 lead with four straight points. The Trojans stayed within four points until an attack error gave the Grizzlies set point at 14-9. Little Rock earned two straight points, but a final Trojan attack error ended the match.
 
Aubrey Wilson recorded her first double-double as a Trojan with 40 assists and 13 digs. Carolee Dillard and Lindberg each tallied 10 kills while Dillard recorded eight block assists. Sydnee Martin came up with 16 digs while tallying three aces.
 
The Trojans will return to action against tournament host SMU on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.