Trojans Nearly Overcome Deficit in 3-2 Loss to Cajuns

LITTLE ROCK – In a five-set thriller, Little Rock volleyball nearly overcame a 2-0 deficit as it fell 3-2 (25-27, 23-25, 25-23, 25-23, 12-15) to division-leader Louisiana on Friday night at the Jack Stephens Center.
 
Career-high were set all across the board for the Trojans (6-14, 2-6 Sun Belt) as Veronica Marin led the match with a career-high 26 kills on 47 attacks with just one error. She ended the night hitting .532 with a team-high six total blocks and five digs. Her kill total was the most by a Trojan in a single match since Edina Begic in 2014. Taylor Lindberg set a career-high with 61 assists while tallying seven digs. Sydnee Martin tied her career-high with 29 digs and added three assists. Marina Avram tallied her seventh double-double of the season with 19 kills and 13 digs while serving up two aces. Mya Robinson earned her fourth double-double of the year with 12 kills and 12 digs. Kassidy Hopkins also tallied a career-high with 13 digs.
 
Stacy Reilly led the Ragin' Cajuns (14-7, 7-0 Sun Belt) with 20 kills while Jessica Bartczyszyn had 56 assists. Libero Sydney Davis led the match with 31 digs while Dree'ana Abram had a match-high seven blocks.
 
Little Rock kept the fifth set close despite never leading as it maximum deficit was four points midway through the frame. The difference in the set was hitting as the Cajuns hit .375 while the Trojans hit .190. Robinson led the Trojans with four kills while Lindberg had eight assists.
 
The Trojans had momentum on their side entering the fourth set after a win in the third frame. Marin led the set with 11 of Little Rock's 18 kills and had an .846 hitting percentage. Lindberg had 13 assists while Martin tallied seven digs.
 
After falling in the first two sets, Little Rock's luck finally changed in the third set as it took a two-point win over Louisiana. Hitting was the difference in the set as the Trojans hit .171 while the Cajuns hit .067. Avram led Little Rock with four kills while Lindberg added 13 assists. Martin and Hopkins each dug six digs. The set featured the most lead changes for the night with five.
 
Little Rock went down 2-0 for the match in the second set after taking a two-point loss. Avram led the set with seven kills while Lindberg put up another 13 assists. Nedima Kamberovic served up two of her career-high three aces while Robinson led Little Rock with eight digs. The Trojans hit .196 for the set while the Cajuns put down .275.
 
The match started on a tight note as the first set had to go into extra points to decide a winner. The Cajuns came out on top after beginning the match with a .345 hitting percentage and three blocks while the Trojans hit .231 with one block. Little Rock did lead the set with 18 kills, but it amassed nine attack errors while Louisiana put down 12 kills and just two attack errors. Marin began the match with a set-high six kills while Lindberg put up 14 assists. Martin led the set with eight digs while Avram had two aces.
 
Daisha Gillard finished the match with eight kills and two total blocks while Maritza Mesa had seven kills, three digs and two total blocks. Jovana Cernjanski had four digs off the bench.
 
Little Rock led the match in kills (72-67), attacks (197-193), assists (68-62), aces (8-2) and digs (91-79), but Louisiana had the better hitting percentage (.238-.213) and committed fewer attack errors (30-21) and service errors (9-5).
 
Little Rock will return to action against ULM on Saturday night at 6:30 at the Jack Stephens Center.