FOLEY, Ala. – Laura Jansen put down eight kills,
Nicole Medlin added seven more but Little Rock ran into an unbeaten buzz saw in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Semifinals, dropping a 3-0 decision to No. 12 Coastal Carolina Saturday afternoon.
The 12
th-ranked Chanticleers (18-0) remained undefeated after hitting .455 and committing just four attack errors in the three-set match. Set scores were 25-15, 25-15 and 25-15.
Medlin led the Trojan offense for most of the match until the third set when Jansen put down four kills, equaling her first two sets combined.
Zanobia Willis was responsible for all three of Little Rock's blocks with two solo stops and assisting on another.
Leigh Maher recorded a team-high 13 digs.
But Little Rock (6-14) also fell prey to a Coastal net game that recorded 9 total blocks, including a match-high four by Anett Nemeth. Nemeth led Coastal overall with 13 kills while Ani Bozdeva added seven kills, three aces and two solo blocks.
Little Rock ends its Cinderella run and 2020 season wins in five of its last six matches, including sweeping through Pool Play at the Sun Belt Tournament. The youthful Trojans boast seven freshmen and 10 newcomers on its roster.
Behind the Box Score
- Nicole Medlin led the Trojans with five kills in the opening set.
- Little Rock's .205 hitting percentage in the first set was seven points better than its .198 season average.
- Coastal Carolina hit .500 in the second set and used a 9-2 run early in the set to keep the Trojans at bay.
- Little Rock's only ace of the match came in the second set.
- Laura Jansen led the Trojans with four kills in the final set.
- Alyssa Nayar had a team-high four digs in the third frame.
Leaders by the Numbers
Kills: 8,
Laura Jansen
Assists: 19,
Alyssa Nayar
Service Aces: 1,
Laura Jansen
Digs: 13,
Leigh Maher
Blocks: 3,
Zanobia Willis
Notables
- This marked Little Rock's 15th appearance all-time in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals.
- Little Rock is now 0-5 all-time against Coastal Carolina. This was the first time the two teams have met in the Sun Belt Tournament.
- This marked the fourth match this season in which Little Rock has faced a ranked opponent. That is the most number of ranked opponents Little Rock has faced in a single season.
- No Trojan hitter (outside, right-side and middle blockers) hit in negative numbers in any of the three Sun Belt Tournament matches.
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