Arkansas State volleyball outlasts Little Rock in five sets, go 2-1 in A-State Invitational

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – Trailing 2-1 within the match coming into the fourth set, the Arkansas State volleyball group relied upon late-match vitality and a raucous crowd to oust rival Little Rock in 5 units Saturday at First Nationwide Financial institution Enviornment.

The Purple Wolves (2-1) took a 25-23 fourth-set triumph to drive a match-deciding fifth body, during which A-State by no means trailed and staved off a late comeback try by the Trojans (1-2) for its sixth straight win within the collection.

A-State Invitational All-Event Workforce honorees Macey Putt (22 kills) and Kyla Wiersema (14 kills, .609 hitting share) led the best way for the Scarlet and Black on the offensive finish. Setter Lauren Musante doled out 28 assists and hit a profession milestone alongside the best way, eclipsing the two,000-career assists mark. Kassidy Reeves began the match, allotting 16 assists.

Defensively, A-State held the Trojans to only a .116 mark on the assault. Sarah Martinez tallied 16 digs whereas Bailey Helzer added 13. The Purple Wolves additionally totaled seven blocks as a squad, led by three apiece from Putt and Yazmyn Billings.

SET 1 – A-STATE 25, LITTLE ROCK 18

After a back-and-forth begin to the match, A-State rattled off a 7-1 run to take a 15-11 lead on the media timeout following a Billings block. The Purple Wolves then took six of the following eight factors to up its result in 21-14 on kills by Putt and Helzer. The Trojans regained serve and minimize the deficit to 22-17, however a sideout on a Wiersema kill later ended the body to present the house squad a 1-0 benefit.

SET 2 – LITTLE ROCK 25, A-STATE 17

The second set started very similar to the primary, with neither group holding serve for very lengthy. A-State took a 12-9 lead on a pair of Trojan miscues on the assault earlier than Little Rock claimed eight of the following 10 factors to guide 18-14. A Putt kill halted the 6-0 run, however the Trojans mounted a 6-1 spurt to carry set level on a kill by Laure Jansen. After a service error, the guests evened the match at a set apiece on a kill by Daria Burrows.

SET 3 – LITTLE ROCK 25, A-STATE 15

Arkansas State responded after the intermission with a 5-0 run following a Sophia Reynolds ace to open the third, forcing an early timeout. The Trojans stored it shut earlier than transferring forward 11-9 on a 6-1 run to drive an A-State timeout. Little Rock went on to take 14 of the final 20 factors within the set to carry a 2-1 lead within the match.

SET 4 – A-STATE 25, LITTLE ROCK 23

The Purple Wolves opened the fourth set with a renewed vitality, surging to an early 7-2 lead after a block by Putt and Wiersema. A kill by Wiersema pushed A-State’s result in 10-5 earlier than Little Rock evened the set rating at 10-all. A-State retook the lead at 18-14 on a Billings kill, then was first to twenty on a kill by Wiersema.

The Trojans responded to maintain the set even, however the Purple Wolves pressured a fifth set with kills by Wiersema and Putt to take a 25-23 victory within the fourth.

SET 5 – A-STATE 15, LITTLE ROCK 9

That momentum carried over in to the fifth set, as three straight thunderous Putt kills ignited the Scarlet and Black to open the set. After the Trojans trimmed the deficit again down to 2, A-State rattled off 4 straight factors to guide 10-4 and drive a Little Rock timeout.

Two extra kills by Wiersema stretched the lead out to 13-6 earlier than Putt gave her squad a match-point state of affairs up 14-7. Little Rock responded with two extra factors to maintain the match going earlier than Putt ended issues along with her twenty second kill of the afternoon.

NOTABLES

• Lauren Musante handed out 28 assists and surpassed the two,000-career assists mark.
• Arkansas State received its sixth straight match in opposition to in-state foe Little Rock and improved to 65-25 within the all-time collection. A-State has emerged victorious within the rivalry in 16 of the final 18 conferences.

NEXT UP

The Purple Wolves return to motion subsequent weekend to open a span of three consecutive highway tournaments, touring to Martin, Tenn., for the Skyhawk Invitational Friday and Saturday. There, A-State will face Western Illinois, Alabama A&M and host UT Martin.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Followers can comply with the group on Twitter (@AStateVB) and Instagram (astatevb) together with liking the Arkansas State Purple Wolves Volleyball web page on Fb for the newest information and updates relating to the group.

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