JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Little Rock notched a perfect weekend in Alabama, going 4-0 on the weekend with four 3-0 sweeps. After sweeping a pair of matches Friday, Little Rock continued its hot start to the season with a 3-0 victory over Lamar in the early match, followed by a 3-0 decision against host Jacksonville State.
Match One – Little Rock 3, Lamar 0
Little Rock continued its dominance in Jacksonville, Alabama, routing Lamar 25-6, 25-10, 25-14 in the early match of the day. The Trojans trailed just once on the day, falling behind 2-1 to begin the second set, and posted a season-high attack percentage of .465, committing just six errors against the Cardinals.
In set one, Little Rock scored 16 of the first 18 points, racing out to a 16-2 lead before taking the opener 25-6. After the early deficit in set two, the Trojans reeled off 10-straight to build an 11-2 lead on Lamar to take control, then continued the domination in set three, gradually building a 10-point lead at 16-6 before settling in for the victory.
Inside the Stats
- Little Rock improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2008. It also marked the first time in program history the Trojans won the first nine sets of the regular season.
- Taylor Lindberg paced the Trojans with a double-double, posting a team-best 12 kills with 12 assists and hitting .667 for the match with no attack errors.
- Veronica Marin added seven kills and three blocks for Little Rock, registering a .462 hitting percentage, with three aces.
- Mya Robinson and Maritza Mesa each added six kills and three blocks each for Little Rock.
- Carol Barbosa paced the Trojans with six total blocks (two unassisted) with four kills.
- Pamela Zuluaga led Little Rock with 20 assists.
Match Two – Little Rock 3, Jacksonville State 0
Looking to close out the weekend with a sweep, Little Rock's momentum carried over in a 25-18, 25-16, 25-21 decision over host Jacksonville State to close out the tournament. Once again, the Trojans' attack was on point, hitting .322 for the match and limiting the Gamecocks to a .087 clip.
In what proved to be the most competitive match of the weekend, Little Rock set the tone in the opening set, using 7-2 run midway through to build a 17-11 lead, one it would never relinquish. In the second, the Trojans responded to a Gamecock run with a run of its own, turning an 11-10 lead in to a 20-14 advantage and easing to the 25-16 victory.
Looking to close out the perfect weekend, Little Rock found itself trailing early in set three, but rallied to tie the Gamecocks at 9-9 before the two teams traded points. Trailing 12-11, Little Rock tallied points on seven of the next 10 serves to build a 19-14 lead, then held off a late Jacksonville State charge to seal the sweep.
Inside the Stats
- Little Rock won its 12th-straight set to open the season, a new program record, holding its opponents under 20 points in 11 of 12 sets on the weekend.
- Little Rock improved to 4-0 for just the second time in program history and the first since the 1998 season when it advanced to the NCAA tournament.
- Maritza Mesa led Little Rock with 12 kills, hitting .526 for the match with a block.
- Carol Barbosa added seven kills with a .333 hitting percentage while Mya Robinson, Laura Jansen and Taylor Lindberg each added six for the Trojan attack.
- Lindberg led the team with 22 assists, followed by 15 from Pamela Zuluaga.
Up Next
Little Rock head back on the road to Oxford, Mississippi, for the 2018 Ole Miss Rebel Invitational The Trojans will face Samford on Friday, August 31 at 3:30 p.m., before taking on Southern Miss at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 1. The weekend concludes with a showdown with host Ole Miss at 2:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
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