NEW ORLEANS – The Little Rock Trojans comeback effort came up short against Cal Baptist in the first round of the Women's NIVC, falling in five sets to the Lancers.
Little Rock took the first set 25-17 after the two squads traded points for a majority of the game, Little Rock then taking the lead 17-15. A Lancer error,
Pamela Zuluaga ace and a
Laura Jansen kill would start a sequence that would give Little Rock it's biggest advantage of the set at 19-15. The Trojans would use that scoring push and take the game 25-17.
The Lancers would come back hard in the second set, dominating the game 25-12. Cal Baptist would go on sustained runs that Little Rock was unable to stop. The Trojans went on a 4-0 run late in the set for its only consecutive points of the set.
The third game was similar to the second as Little Rock was never able to generate continued momentum. The Trojans only marked consecutive points three times, adding up to only 10 points. CBU would control the set 25-17.
Little Rock wouldn't go down without a fight, forcing a fifth set after winning the fourth 25-20. The Trojans used an early lead, going up as much as 9-2, to create separation and maintain space ahead of the Lancers. Little Rock was able to create momentum through the duration of the set, creating multiple runs, and would come out on top with the match point after a Cal Baptist service error.
The final set started off as a see-saw, seeing seven ties before CBU took the upper hand 8-7. Little Rock would bring themselves within two points at 11-9 and 12-10, but were never able to close the gap and overtake the Lancers, who's run would end the match at 15-11.
Maritza Mesa registered a team-high 13 kills, passing the double-digit mark for the eighth time this season,
Taylor Lindberg logged a team-high 28 assists, Zuluaga marked 25 digs, a career-high, and
Veronica Marin led the team with a .375 hitting percentage as well as tying
Carol Barbosa with three blocks.
