CONWAY, Ark. – Little Rock put together one of its best all-around efforts of the season, defeating South Dakota 25-18, 24-26, 25-21, 25-21 at the UCA Invitational. The Trojans close out their stay in Conway with a 2-1 mark, improving to 7-3 on the season.
Little Rock had a solid performance across the board, registering 63 total kills and a .231 hitting percentage, compared to 45 and .090 for the Coyotes. Defensively, the Trojans posted 16 total blocks and tallied 93 digs, with South Dakota tallying just seven and 86, respectively.
The effort was led by a triple-double from
Taylor Lindberg, who finished the match with 13 kills, 30 assists and 11 digs along with four blocks.
Veronica Marin also tallied a double-double for the Trojans with 10 blocks and 13 kills, hitting .458 for the match.
Set one saw the Trojans begin to pull away midway through the opening game, using a 9-3 run to improve its advantage to 22-15 before closing out the set with kills by Lindberg,
Mya Robinson and
Veronica Marin.
In the second set, both the Trojans and Coyotes battled for the duration as the teams combined for 16 ties and eight changes. Trailing 18-17, Little Rock looked to swing momentum back in its favor with a 5-1 run, holding a 22-19 edge. But South Dakota rallied and squeaked past the Trojans for the 26-24 decision, tying the set at a game apiece.
But the setback in the second didn't deter the Trojans as Little Rock took both the third and fourth sets by a 25-21 margin. Both games played out in similar fashion as the Trojans used runs midway through the sets to claim a lead, then kept the Coyotes at bay down the stretch to preserve the wins.
Inside the Stats
- Little Rock improves to 7-3 on the season, its best mark through the first 10 matches of the season since the 2008 team went 9-1 through the first 10.
- The match featured a total of 32 ties and 18 lead changes, including 16 and eight in set two.
- Carol Barbosa finished with 12 kills and five blocks with a .310 hitting percentage.
- Mya Robinson and Laura Jansen each recorded nine kills as Robinson tied for the team lead with 24 while adding three blocks.
- Maritza Mesa ranked second on the team with seven blocks and notched six kills.
- Pamela Zuluaga dished out 28 assists and added seven digs with Sydnee Martin matching Robinson's dig total with 24.
Up Next
Little Rock closes out the non-conference portion of its 2018 schedule in the Big Easy next weekend, traveling to New Orleans, Louisiana for the AllState Sugar Bowl Collegiate Volleyball Classic. The Trojans open with a pair of matches Friday, September 14, facing host Tulane at 12:30 p.m. before a showdown with ACC foe Clemson at 4:30 p.m. The non-conference schedule concludes Saturday, September 15 when Little Rock meets up with Big East opponent Villanova at 11 a.m.
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