LITTLE ROCK - Paced by 19 team blocks, Little Rock made a statement in its Sun Belt Conference opener, outlasting South Alabama 25-20, 18-25, 25-21, 25-23 in its home opener at the Jack Stephens Center. The win ups the Trojans' record to 9-5 on the year, matching its win total from the 2017 campaign.
As a team, Little Rock hit .248 on the night while limiting the Jaguars (6-8) to a .191 clip and held a commanding 19-3 edge in team blocks. The Trojan defensive effort was paced by
Veronica Marin's 13 blocks, which is tied for the fourth-most in a single match in program history. Marin added 11 kills on the night as well for her second double-double of the season.
The opening set set the tone for the evening as the Trojans and Jaguars combined for 10 ties and seven lead changes, all of which came within the first 20 points of the set. Tied 10-10, Little Rock extended its lead to as many as six at 22-16, then kept South Alabama at bay for the duration to take the opener 25-20.
But the Jaguars responded quickly in set two, building an early 10-4 lead and never looking back. The Jaguars led by as many as eight on a number of occasions as they decidedly took the second 25-18.
That effort was matched by the Trojans in set three who matched the early 10-4 lead and continued to build that lead to as many as nine at 20-11. South Alabama clawed their way back into it with a late rally, outscoring Little Rock 10-4 to close the gap to three at 24-21, but a block, fittingly ended the third to give the Trojans the 2-1 lead.
Set four was another back-and-forth affair with Little Rock and South Alabama combining for nine ties and a pair of lead changes. Trailing 19-16, Little Rock used a 4-1 run, including back-to-back blocks to pull even at 20-20. With the match tied at 23-23 following a reversal on a challenge from the Jaguars, the Trojans answered with a kill from
Maritza Mesa and a service ace from Marin to seal the victory.
Inside the Stats
- The win over the Jaguars snaps a two-game losing skid as Little Rock improves to 30-7 all-time against South Alabama.
- Marin's 13 blocks was a new career-best and the most for the Trojans since Ivana Kumzic's 13 in 2010. The total was two off the program-record of 15 blocks in a single match.
- Maritza Mesa matched Marin's kill total with 11 and added five blocks of her own, hitting .333 for the match.
- Laura Jansen had 10 kills and four blocks, hitting .292 in her Jack Stephens Center debut.
- Taylor Lindberg just missed notching her seventh double-double of the season, finishing with nine kills and 23 assists on the night.
- Pamela Zuluaga dished out a match-high 28 assists while Sydnee Martin led all players with 20 digs.
- Little Rock finished with 14 service errors on the night, but also had six aces.
- Following the match, Martin was greeted with a surprise proposal from her fiancee Jacob, who was dressed up in the Trojan man costume and popped the question. (She said yes!)
Up Next
Little Rock returns to the court at the Jack Stephens Center Saturday evening, hosting Troy at 6:30 p.m.
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