NEW ORLEANS, La. – Little Rock dropped a pair of hard-fought matches in the Big Easy, taking part in the AllState Sugar Bowl Volleyball Classic. The Trojans fell to host Tulane 15-25, 25-16, 22-25, 28-26, 13-15, then dropped a 24-26, 23-25, 22-25 decision to Clemson an hour later.
Match One – Tulane 3, Little Rock 2
The Trojans opened the weekend facing host Tulane in its opening match of the AllState Sugar Bowl Volleyball Classic as the first two sets were mirror opposites. The Green Wave dominated set one, taking a convincing 25-15 decision over Little Rock, only to see the Trojans return the favor in set two, downing Tulane 25-16 to even the match at a set apiece.
The final three matches proved to be much more competitive, beginning with a 25-22 victory for Tulane in set three. The Green Wave built a commanding 9-1 lead early, only to see Little Rock chip away to cut the lead to one at 10-9. But the Trojans were never able to get over the hump, dropping the third despite fighting off four set points.
Set four went back and forth for the duration as neither team was able to build any more than a two point advantage until a Trojan run late gave Little Rock the 22-18 edge. Tulane raced back and was serving for match point at 24-23, but the Trojans fought off a pair of match points before outlasting the Green Wave 28-26, forcing the decisive fifth set.
Tulane once again raced out to an early advantage in the final set, holding a 7-2 lead over the Trojans after nine points. Little Rock mounted another rally, pulling even at 12-12, then again at 13-13. But a pair of kills for the Green Wave thwarted the comeback, handing the Trojans the heartbreaking 15-13 loss.
Inside the Stats
- Three Trojans finished in double figures in kills on the afternoon, led by 14 from Maritza Mesa, who registered a double-double with 15 digs while hitting .324.
- Carol Barbosa had 12 kills with no errors on 23 swings for a .522 attack percentage, adding a pair of blocks for Little Rock.
- Mya Robinson matched Barbosa with 12 kills on a team-high 51 attempts, posting a double-double with 16 digs.
- Veronica Marin continued to be an imposing force up front, finishing with 11 total blocks while contributing eight kills.
- Taylor Lindberg finished with a team-high 48 assists as the Trojans with 10 digs, giving Little Rock three players with a double-double.
- Diana Giordani led the way with 18 digs for Little Rock, followed by 17 from Sydnee Martin as five different Trojans recorded 10 or more digs on the afternoon.
- Little Rock falls to 0-1 all-time against Tulane in the first meeting between the two schools.
Match Two – Clemson 3, Little Rock 0
Returning to the court just over an hour after its tough five-set loss to host Tulane, Little Rock put up a strong fight against ACC foe Clemson. Despite giving the Tigers everything they had, the Trojans dropped a 3-0 decision, coming up short in the three sets by a combined seven points.
Set one set the tone for the match as Little Rock and Clemson combined for 14 ties and seven lead changes. The Tigers opened a six-point edge at 20-14, only to see the Trojans stage a furious 7-1 rally, taking the lead at 22-21. Little Rock was serving for set point at 24-23, but three-straight kills by Clemson swung the set in the Tigers' favor, winning 26-24.
Set two saw Little Rock flip the script from the opener, building a 15-11 lead at the midway point. But Clemson did what the Trojans did previously, rallying past Little Rock to take a 24-22 lead. The Trojans fought off another set point, but another Tiger kill sealed the second in a 25-23 victory.
With momentum in its favor, Clemson pounced out to an early six-point lead on Little Rock at 14-8 in set three before the Trojans staged another late set rally, pulling to within one on a four different occasions. But Little Rock was unable to get over that hump as Clemson closed out the third with a 25-22 victory, handing the Trojans their first three-set setback of the season.
Inside the Stats
- Little Rock hit just .198 against Clemson, opposed to the Tigers' .248 clip. Clemson also outblocked Little Rock 5-4, an area that had been a strength for the Trojans early in the season.
- Mya Robinson paced the Trojans with a double-double, finishing with 11 kills and 10 digs.
- Maritza Mesa added nine kills with a .381 hitting percentage with seven digs for Little Rock.
- Laura Jansen finished with seven kills on 22 attempts with a block.
- Taylor Lindberg dished out 30 assists with six digs, three kills and a pair of service aces.
- Diana Giordani matched the Trojans' team-high with 10 digs, adding eight assists.
- Little Rock falls to 0-2 all-time against Clemson in the teams' first meeting since 2007.
Up Next
Little Rock hits the court for the final time in non-conference play, facing Big East opponent Villanova at 11 a.m. Saturday. The match against the Wildcats is the Trojans' last match of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Volleyball Classic and Little Rock's final tune-up before Sun Belt Conference play begins next weekend.
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