ST. LOUIS (9/3/21) – On Friday night at Chaifetz Pavilion, the Arkansas State volleyball team got off to a strong start in the Billiken Invitational, ousting host Saint Louis 3-1 (27-25, 25-13, 21-25, 25-16).
A-State (2-2) fired seven aces in the match, five by Paulina Sobolewska, and hit .323 in the final three sets after attacking at a .093 clip in the opening set. The Red Wolves hit .257 on the night while holding SLU to just a .108 mark.
Macey Putt recorded her fourth double-double in as many matches to start the season, notching a match-high 19 kills and 14 digs while also serving an ace and knocking down two blocks. Josie Stanford registered a dozen kills on 25 attacks with no errors for a .480 clip and a pair of blocks. Kendahl Davenport also posted an error-free night on the attack with eight kills in 11 attempts (.727).
Lauren Musante piloted A-State's offense with 26 assists and, like Putt, tallied her fourth double-double showing of the campaign with 12 digs. Defensively, Brianna Hollingshed led A-State in blocks for the second straight match, tallying five. Tatum Ticknor corralled 20 digs.
A-State weathered a tough start in the opening set, battling back from as much as six points down to cut it to 22-21. The Billikens then owned set point up 24-21 before the Red Wolves surged on a 6-1 run to take the set 27-25 and lead 1-0 in the match.
The Red Wolves cruised to a commanding lead in the second set, leading by as much as 13 at 17-4. Saint Louis cut it to a 10-point deficit, but that would be it as a kill by Sobolewska gave A-State the 25-13 set victory and a 2-0 lead in the match with a kill. The Scarlet and Black were strong on the attack in the frame, hitting .472 with 17 kills on 36 attacks and no errors.
Saint Louis took a tight 25-21 decision in the third set, closing out the stanza on a 4-0 run after A-State knotted up the set at 21-all.
In the fourth set, A-State mounted to an early lead at 10-6, but the Billikens responded to take a 14-12 advantage. The Red Wolves would allow just two points for the remainder of the night, out-scoring SLU 13-2 down the stretch to take the set 25-16 and clinch the match. Three of Sobolewska's five aces occurred in the final set.
With the win, the Scarlet and Black improved to 12-8 all-time versus Saint Louis and won its third straight in the series.
NEXT UP
A-State returns to the floor Saturday for a pair of matches, first taking on Murray State at 10 a.m. before closing out the weekend against in-state foe Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 5 p.m.
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.
