Laura Jansen Leads in Battle of Kills but Trojans Drop Tuesday Tilt

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas State's Macey Putt entered the match ranked third in the nation in kills but it was Little Rock's Laura Jansen who bested Putt Tuesday night, putting down a match-high 24 kills in a double-double effort against the rival Red Wolves. But Putt and A-State pulled out the 3-1 win in front of 407 fans at the Jack Stephens Center.
 
Jansen's 24 kills fell just one shy of matching a career-high for a Sun Belt Conference game while she added 17 digs to record her 26^th career double-double. She hit .254 in the match while Nicole Medlin – who joined Nejra Hanic and Nedima Kamberovic in putting down seven kills – hit .238.
 
Leigh Maher recorded a season-high 26 digs while Zanobia Willis recorded five blocks. For the second straight match, Laure Jansen served up three aces. It marked the fifth time this year the true freshman had recorded three or more aces in a match.
 
The match included 27 ties and 13 lead changes, with 13 ties taking place in an opening set that required extra points to determine a winner. All four sets were determined by four points or less.
 
Set scores were 27-25, 25-22, 21-25 and 25-21 as Little Rock fell to 10-7 (1-4 Sun Belt) on the year. Arkansas State advanced to 12-5 (3-2).
 
Behind the Box Score

• Laura Jansen led all players with eight kills in the first set.
• Both teams hit below .100 in the opening frame.
• Little Rock out-blocked A-State in the second set, 3-1.
• Macey Putt led all players with seven kills in the second set.
• The Trojans hit a match-high .190 in the third set.
• The fourth set featured 11 ties and eight lead changes.

 
Leaders by the Numbers
Kills: 24, Laura Jansen
Assists: 40, Alyssa Nayar
Service Aces: 3, Laure Jansen
Digs: 26, Leigh Maher
Blocks: 5, Zanobia Willis
 
Notables

• The opening set marked the ninth time this season Little Rock has gone to extra points to determine a set. Little Rock is 4-5 in sets that go to extra points.
• The Trojans now trail the all-time series against Arkansas State, 47-21.
• Laura Jansen recorded her 26^th career double-double with 24 kills and 17 assists.
• Laura Jansen's 24 kills fell one shy of matching her career-high for a Sun Belt Conference game.
• Livia Kimura recorded a career-high 13 digs. The defensive specialist also recorded a kill in the match, her first career kill.
• Leigh Maher was credited with a season-high 26 digs.
• Alyssa Nayar recorded her first career solo block.

 
For the latest information on Little Rock Volleyball, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockVB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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