JONESBORO, Ark. (8/27/21) – In Friday's season-opening doubleheader at First National Bank Arena, the Arkansas State volleyball team split a pair of 3-1 outcomes, taking a win over UT Martin before dropping the nightcap to Missouri State.
A-State (1-1) faced one-set deficits in both and had to dig deep against scrappy competition on opening day. Macey Putt posted a pair of double-double 20-kill performances to lead A-State.
MATCH 1 | A-STATE 3, UT MARTIN 1 (25-27, 25-18, 25-15, 28-26)
In the season opener, A-State weathered the storm early, but arose victorious in a 3-1 victory over UT Martin (0-1) that featured four Red Wolves with double-double performances.
Putt posted a spectacular first match, hammering a career-high 27 kills with just four errors on the attack for a .434 percentage while corralling 11 digs and a pair of blocks. Paulina Sobolewska was second on the squad with 16 kills (.318 percentage).
Tatum Ticknor notched a match-high 32 digs with a career-best 15 assists while Lauren Musante led the offense with 31 assists and 14 digs. Julianna Cramer aided with 17 assists and 12 digs. She and Musante served two aces each.
As a team, A-State hit .281 with seven aces while knocking down six blocks.
The Red Wolves led the first set by as much as seven at 16-9 before the Skyhawks battled back to take a 25-24 lead and extend the set. A UT Martin service error knotted it up at 25-all, but Olivia Saunders delivered back-to-back kills to give her team an early 1-0 advantage.
UT Martin tied up the second set at 12-all, but the Scarlet and Black regained momentum to reclaim the lead and hold off the Skyhawks for a 25-18 decision in the second set to tie up the match at a set apiece. The Red Wolves rode that momentum well into the third frame to lead by as much as 10. A 6-2 run ended the set, capped off by a kill by Putt to give A-State a 2-1 lead.
The fourth set was back and forth throughout, with both teams holding set-point opportunities. A-State owned a pair of match points at 25-24 and 26-25, with the Skyhawks saving both before an attack error and Sobolewska kill ended things.
MATCH 2 | MISSOURI STATE 3, A-STATE 1 (25-22, 17-25, 25-20, 25-7)
A-State faced a similar situation in the second half of the twinbill and battled back to even up the match at a set each, but Missouri State (1-1) took a tight 25-20 decision in the third set before clinching the match with a 25-7 fourth-set margin.
Putt dropped 21 kills with 11 assists and served one of two aces for the Scarlet and Black. Musante also posted her second double-double in as many contests with 25 assists and 14 digs.
Defensively, Ticknor led the way with a match-high 20 digs, while Josie Stanford tallied a team-high three blocks to go along with 10 kills.
NEXT UP
The A-State Invitational finishes up Saturday, with Missouri State and UT Martin squaring off at noon before the Red Wolves host Wichita State at 2 p.m. in the weekend finale on ESPN+.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow the team on Twitter (@AStateVB) and Instagram (astatevb) along with liking the Arkansas State University Volleyball page on Facebook for the latest news and updates regarding the team.
