RUSTON, La. — Little Rock Volleyball picked up its first win of the season, putting away Grambling in the Trojans' opening game of the Louisiana Tech Invitational on Thursday.
The Trojans (1-5) held off a pesky Tigers team (1-7) and won by scores of 23-25, 25-19, 25-11, 15-25, and 18-16. Little Rock scored the final three points of the fifth and decisive set to put an end to its five-match skid to start the 2023 campaign.
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WIN COLUMN
Thursday's win over Grambling puts the Trojans in the win column for the first time in 2023, and it took some impressive efforts by more than a few team members to get it done.
Daedrianna Cail had a team-high 15 kills and six blocks while also serving three aces.
Bella Cherry posted her first collegiate double-double with 20 digs and 12 kills, and
Dariana Valencia also had a double-double with 25 assists and 10 digs to go with a team-high four aces.
Rylee McClintock had a team-high 23 digs and
Kaylee Smith had 16 assists.
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BACK AND FORTH
Grambling got off to a fast start and led by as many as nine in the opening set, allowing the Tigers to cruise to a 1-0 lead in the match. Little Rock scored the first nine points of the second set and led by no less than three at any point as the Trojans tied the match at 1-1. Little Rock rolled in the third, scoring the first five and leading by as many as 14 at a few different points. While the first three sets saw no ties or lead changes, that changed in the final two sets, with the score in the fourth knotted up seven times with three lead changes, and eight tie scores with four lead changes in the fifth.
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CAREER BESTS
Several Trojans met or set new career-best single game marks during the win over Grambling, including Cail (15 kills), Cherry (20 digs, 12 kills), Valencia (25 assists, 4 aces), Smith (15 assists),
Jaycee Kennedy (7 kills) and
Sophia Garrido (4 blocks).
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