Trojans Take Down Jackson State Friday Morning, 3-1

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Livia Kimura and Mihaly Carmona served up four services aces each and Makaila Harris put down 11 kills in a .308 hitting performance as Little Rock claimed a 3-1 win over Jackson State to win the first match of the Blazer Invitational at Bartow Arena in Birmingham Friday morning.
 
For Kimura and Carmona, the quartet of aces by each are career highs and it is the third such time in her career that Kimura has served up four aces in a match. Harris, a true freshman, registered 11 kills and her .308 hitting percentage was surpassed only by Zanobia Willis, who hit .400 in the match. Set scores were 25-14, 25-21, 23-25 and 25-14.
 
In all, Little Rock (2-2) served up 12 aces in the match with Sophia Reynolds and Jalynn Robinson claiming a pair of aces each. Reynolds also posted a career-high 25 assists
 
Jackson State (1-4) was limited to just a .105 hitting percentage as Little Rock recorded 10 total blocks, led by a career-high eight blocks from Nedima Kamberovic. The Trojans hit .204 in the match as Jeila Fullerton posted 10 kills and Willis added eight.
 
After a dominating first set, Little Rock was unable to pull away from the Tigers in the second frame until late in the set when Harris put down three kills over the final four points to clinch the set.
 
The Trojans let a 22-20 lead in the third set slip away but responded forcefully in the fourth set, jumping out to a 7-1 lead and didn't look back. That final set included five aces by the Maroon and Silver, including three from Kimura and two by Carmony. It also featured a 9-2 run by Little Rock that was capped off by three consecutive Harris kills.
 
Jackson State was led by Alexis Williams and Jordan Jones, each of which at 13 kills. Alana Washington added 15 digs for the Tigers.
 
The Trojans will now face Samford at 4 p.m. in the second match of the Blazer Invitational.
 
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.
 
Get the latest Trojan news – including the weekly Trojan Report – delivered to you direct to your inbox by signing up for Little Rock Trojan E-News here.
 
Notables

• Little Rock now leads the all-time series over Jackson State, 6-0.
• Freshman Makaila Harris recorded a career-high 11 kills in the match. That included Harris putting down kills in three of the last four points in the second set. She also hit a career-best .308.
• Livia Kimura tied a career-high with four service aces. This marks the third match in her career -and the second consecutive match she has played in – in which she has served up four aces.
• True freshman Mihaly Carmona also served up a career-high four aces in the match.
• Nedima Kamberovic registered a career-high eight total blocks.

 
#LittleRocksTeam