BOONE, N.C. – Paced by a double-double from
Mya Robinson, Little Rock returned its winning form Friday night, handing Appalachian State its first Sun Belt Conference loss with a 25-22, 25-23, 25-19 victory in Boone, North Carolina.
The Trojans snapped their two-game road losing skid and improved to 11-7 overall, now sitting at 3-2 in Sun Belt Conference play.
As a team, Little Rock hit .254 for the match while limiting the Mountaineers (12-5, 4-1 Sun Belt) to a .137 percentage. The league's top blocking team, Little Rock reverted to its strength, holding a 12-4 edge in team blocks on the night.
Robinson led the way for Little Rock with a team-high 10 kills while notching 10 digs, complemented by three blocks.
Veronica Marin continued to establish herself as one of the nation's top blocking threats, finishing with eight for the Trojans to go along with nine kills.
The opening set proved to be a back-and-forth affair as the two teams combined for 10 ties and six lead changes. Trailing 17-13 midway through the opener, a timeout sparked the Trojan offensive attack as Little Rock used a 9-3 run to pull in front 22-20 off a kill from Marin. It was a lead Little Rock wouldn't relinquish as a Mountaineer attack error sealed the opener for the Trojans, 25-22.
Unlike the opening set, Little Rock raced out to an early lead in set two and never looked back. The Trojans notched the first five points and built an early 15-7 lead off back-to-back kills from
Maritza Mesa. The host Mountaineers tried to mount a late comeback, pulling to within one at 22-21 and again at 24-23, but a kill from Marin closed out the second for a 25-23 Little Rock victory and a 2-0 match advantage.
Little Rock once again raced out to an early lead in the third, trying to make quick work of Appalachian State on its home court. The Mountaineers would tie the set on three occasions, the last of which came at 6-6, but a 10-3 run for Little Rock swung momentum in the Trojans' favor for good, cruising down the stretch to take the third 25-19.
Inside the Stats
- Little Rock notched its first Sun Belt road victory and second road win of the season. Of Little Rock's nine wins away from the Jack Stephens Center this season, seven have been at neutral sites.
- The Trojans improve to 6-2 all-time against the Mountaineers and are 3-1 all-time in Boone.
- In addition to the 10 kills from Robinson and nine from Marin, Maritza Mesa added eight kills with five blocks.
- Carol Barbosa notched seven kills with no errors on 11 attempts for a .636 hitting percentage and three blocks.
- Taylor Lindberg dished out 19 assists and Pamela Zuluaga added 18 as the Trojans held a 40-36 edge in assists on the night.
- Lindberg added three service aces as Little Rock finished with six on the night, including a pair from Sydnee Martin and another from Robinson.
- Diana Giordani led all players with 18 digs defensively and she and Robinson (10) were two of just three players to register double-digit totals.
- Martin upped her dig total to 1,286, trailing Edina Begic (2011-14) by just 10 to move into a tie for second all-time in program history.
Up Next
Little Rock wraps up its four-match road trip on the South Carolina coast, taking on reigning conference champion Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C., on Sunday, October 7. The Chanticleers are undefeated in Sun Belt play, improving to 3-0 with a 3-1 win over Arkansas State Friday evening. Opening serve against Coastal will take place at 11:30 a.m. CT Sunday morning.
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