Trojans post big numbers, complete series sweep of UT Martin

Little Rock had to dig a little deeper to get its second win over UT Martin in as many days, but they completed the task with a 3-1 win over the Skyhawks at the Jack Stephens Center, completing a sweep of the conference series and giving the Trojans their fourth straight win over UT Martin overall.
 
All four sets were closely contested, but the Trojans (7-8, 2-0 OVC) prevailed by scores of 25-23, 23-25, 25-21, and 25-22. The match saw 32 ties and a dozen lead changes, and Little Rock got some big individual performances to get the job done. The Trojans started slow on the attack but hit .302 in the second and .279 in the fourth set to end the day hitting .213.
 

"They [UT Martin} played a very good match today, but we got double-doubles from three players and Crismeyli was big off the bench. It was a good team effort and something to build on as we hit the road next week." — Little Rock head coach Van Compton

 
Andrea Roman had a game-high 23 digs to go with a career-best 15 assists for her first double-double. Dariana Valencia finished with 26 assists and a career-high 22 digs, Kaylee Smith recorded a 17-dig, 16-assist double-double with three aces and Kaila Harris had a career-best 16 kills to go with eight digs.
 
But that wasn't all.
 
Bella Cherry had 18 kills on .310 attacking, Jeila Fullerton had 17 kills and nine digs, and A'lanae Margaritha finished with five kills and five blocks. With the match tied at 1-1, the Trojans got a big spark in the third set when Crismeyli Rodriguez entered the game, fishing with six kills and three blocks over the final two sets. Jaycee Kennedy finished with four blocks.
 
Little Rock will be on the road next week for three conference matches, starting with a Wednesday evening contest at SEMO, then a series at Morehead State on Friday and Saturday.